


Never Tell!

by CALLEN37



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: F/M, Family Secrets, Hurt/Comfort, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 20:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 74,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/983349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Callen and Kensi are closer than anyone else thinks, So what happens when the others find out what they have kept from the rest of the team, Starts before S1 goes through to S5 with time jumps... CaKe... WIP</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Callen lay back in his hotel room, his wounds from his shooting still healing. He knew she'd be around eventually, she always was. They had so far managed to keep the fact they were married from Mike, Sam and Macy and surprisingly even Hetty who had become the new operations manager after his shooting hadn't cottoned onto the fact that her senior agent and junior agent were indeed husband and wife.

Callen smiled as he remembered how they met, Kensi Marie Blye had arrived late for her interview with Callen for the post of junior Agent at NCIS special projects, her file had said she'd been with NCIS for a year and had excelled at all her evaluations. Looking deeper into her file he found she'd had a hidden agenda, her father. He could live with that...in fact he knew it made her more reliable, less likely to leave the team. He'd already had a team run a test on her, which she had passed with flying colors and all that was left was for him to officially offer her a place on his team.

* * *

He looked up from his coffee and was surprised at the smile that was on his face as she ran along the boardwalk her hair flying in all different directions. "Callen, sir…I'm sorry I'm late."

Despite himself he found himself laughing, "It's ok Agent Blye, coffee?" he asked and nodded to a waitress who came over and took her order.

"So, Agent Blye…" Callen started. "Kensi." His face softened into a smile. "You passed your tests easily congratulations, do you still want a spot on my team?" he asked.

She nodded as she took a sip from her drink.

Callen smiled again, "We have a mission, and starting tomorrow you and I are going undercover." He passed her the file and she read it through. "Do you have anyone you need to inform?" he asked.

Kensi shook her head, "I don't have anyone, I live alone, don't even have a pet."

"Good." He looked at her as she read the file and took another swig of his coffee. Damn, she was pretty….No handcuffs, No handcuffs…he said to himself over and over reminding himself of his own rule not to date a woman who owned her own handcuffs.

He was a professional, he'd been with NCIS for 3 years, partnered with Sam Hanna for two, she was his new junior agent he wasn't going to break his own rule and fall for her.

"So we are going undercover as an engaged couple, you will be Kaitlin Benson and I am Greg Callen, You're a fitness instructor and I'm a photographer."

"You're using your real name?" Kensi asked confused.

"No," Callen laughed, "I don't think so, my first initial is G, but I don't actually know my name, a long story." He added forestalling any questions she might have, "Thing is one of the targets knows my name is Callen already, so we are keeping it for this, I've seen him once or twice at art exhibitions and an ex called me Callen, so Hetty our boss figured we should keep it like this."

"OK…?" Kensi said, "What do I need to pack?"

Callen smiled, "Macy already has your sizes and has suitcase packed, they are in the car. She wanted to see if you could jump straight into this situation, do you have and deliveries you need to change, we may be undercover for a few months." He warned her.

Kensi smiled and shook her head, "Nope."

He handed her an envelope and a box, "In that case, Kaitlin, will you marry me." He grinned handing her the box with a scroll worked gold band holding a one caret diamond, he carefully put it on the correct finger on her left hand.

She smiled sadly at him and he made a mental note to ask her about it later, much later…

* * *

He held his hand out as they walked to the car and he held the door for her as they got into their red Ferrari convertible. "Well honey, time to head to our new home, the movers should have finished unpacking by now."

In the car on the way he filled her in; they had 'moved' from Seattle to Malibu and had a nice house on the beach. He told her the rest of their back story and she felt totally comfortable by the time they arrived.

The huge removal van was outside the house as they pulled up, Callen helped Kensi out of the car and hand in hand they walked in.

Sam and Mike were inside putting furniture in the living room; putting his finger to his lips he motioned them to go upstairs they all walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

"Hey." Sam said.

"Sam Hanna, Mike Renko…Special Agent Kensi Blye, AKA Kaitlin Benson; I'm Greg Callen." Callen said introducing them all.

"G…really?" Sam said.

Callen shrugged, "I've met the suspect already. Mace thought it would be a good idea."

Sam laughed, "OK, well Mike's swept the house, there are bug's downstairs, this room is clean, as is the bathroom. Your new 'boss' is Steve Freeman is a writer for 'Military Might' magazine, you've been contracted to take photo's for the next six months. Macy's got a new file for you, it's in here. There is a laptop up here for a secure connection to Eric, and Ops."

Callen nodded and sat on the bed, Kensi sat next to him looking through the file.

"So, this Steve Freeman, he might be stealing arms from military bases and selling them to an arms dealer?" Kensi asked.

Sam nodded, "It looks like he's at the end of the chain, and Macy wants to know who the main dealer he's selling to is?"

"Ok and my part in this?" Kensi asked.

"Steve's wife Louisa is a fitness fanatic, you'll be working at her gym, if she knows anything she might let something slip, or she may just befriend you and you can get closer that way." Mike said.

Kensi nodded looking at Louisa Freeman's file.

Sam stood up and grabbed Mike by the collar, "OK you two, check in on the laptop in 3 days." He said as he walked away.

* * *

For the first month the op had gone as planned, Callen and Kensi had made friends with their targets, Steve and Callen worked well together, Louisa and Kensi had gelled well too, Macy was pleased with the progress they were making.

Steve sat in Callen's living room drinking his beer with Louisa and Kensi sitting out on the deck looking over the beach, "So you in for this weekend?" Steve asked.

Callen shrugged, "Sure, can't see why not…Katie, you in for this weekend?" Callen called to his fiancée.

She walked up to him leant over his shoulder and took a swig of his beer, kissing him on the cheek she asked him "What for?"

"Steve and Louisa are off to Vegas, they want us to come."

Kensi smiled, "I've always wanted to go to Vegas. Sure."

Steve stood up, "Great, Lou, we have to go."

Callen breathed in Kensi's scent as she leant over him, over the last month there had been more than a few accidental touches and once or twice he'd seen more of her than he'd meant too. He was after all only human, but no matter how much he tried not to he found himself falling for her.

Kensi breathed in his scent as she leant over him and feeling familiar warmth in her loins she shook her head and stood up, turning so he couldn't see her blush she walked to the door to see them out. She had started to fall for Callen, she would watch him when he slept and would smile as he held her in his sleep. Occasionally running her hand up and down his abs as he slept. Some mornings she would have to 'deal' with herself in the shower thinking of him naked in the next room, she was finding him harder and harder to resist.

Closing the door she turned back to Callen who swayed slightly as he got up.

"How many of those did you have G?" she asked.

"Five or six?" Callen smirked.

Kensi sighed, "Come on put those in the kitchen," she said as she walked into the kitchen to put the plates in the dishwasher.

She leant over to place the plates in the washer and turned around to find Callen right behind her.

"I…." she stopped noticing how close they were.

Callen looked at her, his breath suddenly heavy, "Kenz…I…you…" he reached up with his hand and moved a lock of hair that was over her eye.

"G…." Kensi breathed within second he was kissing her and her mind was reeling.

They broke apart and Callen smirked, "I sorry, I…." he turned and walked to the bedroom.

She followed him, "What was that?" she asked her anger boiling to the surface.

Callen turned "I…I don't know."

"You don't know!" Kensi was incensed, "I have to work with you, it's hard enough feeling as I do and you don't know!"

Callen turned sharply and held her between the wall and his body. "Feeling as you do?" he smirked.

"I…I." Kensi stammered "Callen,"

"Yes." He smiled his eyes darting from her eyes to her lips and back again.

"I don't want to feel like this." She said breathlessly.

"Like what?" he breathed behind her ear, her knees started to turn to jelly and she started to slide down the wall.

Before she knew what was happening he had scooped her up and lifted her to the bed.

"Like….?" He asked again.

"Shut up and kiss me." Kensi said, all coherent thought going out of the window.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Callen woke to see Kensi asleep on the bed, her hair falling across her face. She turned and opened her eyes slowly. "Hey," he said with a smile.

Kensi smiled, "Hey yourself." She replied.

He reached over and moved the lock of hair that was draped across her face and kissed her again, "Kenz, I don't have any regrets about last night…do you?" he asked.

Kensi sat herself up and looked at him; she could see the worry in his face. "Callen?"

"I'm your superior; I shouldn't have done that…I can move to the other room, I…."

"Callen...G!" Kensi said stopping him.

Callen looked at her, "I've not regretted a single thing, if you want to stop this now, I will walk away, you don't need me to complete the mission, and you can tell Steve we had a fight or something, this doesn't need to come out to anyone." She told him.

"And if I don't?" Callen asked.

"Then…" Kensi smiled, "Can we do that again?" she rolled over to sit astride him as Callen's grin and his interest grew.

3 hours later, Callen holding his….Girlfriend, partner, what? In his arms sighed.

"You ok?" Kensi asked.

"We're going to Vegas tomorrow…." Callen said.

"Uh um." Kensi said

"I know you've only known me a month and a half and we've been….whatever this is for a day…but I love you Kensi Marie Blye, will you marry me for real?" Callen asked.

Kensi smirked, "Naked, in bed, after a mind-blowing sex session, how can a girl say no?" she laughed.

Callen looked down, "I supposed when you say it like that…" he smirked.

Kensi kissed him, "I know I haven't known you long, but when it's right a girl just knows…Yes G. Callen, I'll marry you…tomorrow in Vegas."

"You know we will have to keep this to ourselves, or they'll move us to different teams." Callen said.

Kensi nodded, "I have no intentions of telling anyone."

That weekend in a small chapel in Vegas, Kensi Blye and G. Callen were married.

* * *

Walking into Steve and Louisa's hotel room they showed off their rings to the one couple whom if they told they could say it was part of the undercover act. Steve was thrilled and took them both out for a meal to celebrate. He also booked them the honeymoon suite at the hotel they were staying in.

Carrying her over the threshold Callen closed the door and placed Kensi gently on the bed. "Hey Mrs. Callen."

"Hey, Mr. Callen." She replied with a slight smile.

He took her in his arms and made her forget the whole world, lying with him afterwards she looked over at the clock, "G, we need to check in with Sam and Eric."

Callen groaned… "Now?"

"Callen!" Kensi said grabbing her clothes.

Callen rolled over and opened his bag, grabbing his blue shirt and jeans they plugged in the laptop and waited as Eric called them.

"Hey Callen, Kensi." Eric said, "How's it going?"

"Good, Steve and Louisa have come to Vegas; I think they are meeting with a buyer tomorrow." Callen said.

"Good Callen," Macy said coming into view. "You need to be at that meeting."

Callen smirked and shot Kensi a look, "We will be, it's our honeymoon, Steve's turning the meeting into a party."

"Callen?" Macy asked.

"We slipped away for a few hours to check in with the local PD, so we told them we got married. Steve's getting his contact to meet us, some guy called Ian."

"Ok, but if this falls through I want you guys back home afterwards." Macy warned.

Callen nodded and closed the laptop.

"CALLEN!" Kensi said looking horrified.

"Kenz, if Macy checks the camera footage and Eric sees us going into the chapel, we'd be toast, and this covers that." Callen smirked.

Kensi flung her arms around her husband. "You. Are so clever." She grinned and kissed him again.

* * *

The next evening, Kensi was dressed in a figure hugging black dress and Callen was doing up the cuff-links on his Tux when Steve walked in his hands over his eyes, "Katie….Greg…you two decent?" he called out.

"Steve yeah we're fine." Callen called as he walked out of the bedroom.

Kensi followed him and Steve looked her up and down appreciatively, "Wow…if you weren't married…." He left the sentence hanging in the air as Callen wrapped his arms around his wife.

"So who are we meeting for dinner…?" Callen asked.

"It's a friend his name is Ian Donaldson." Steve said.

Callen grasped Kensi's hand a bit tighter…this looked like it, finally.

The meal was a subdued affair; Steve kept looking at his phone and jumped when it finally rang. "Freeman…" he answered.

Callen looked up his eyes on Kensi but his ears on the conversation.

"You can't make it…ok…Oh, you're going to D.C… ok call me when you get back, we'll make the exchange then." Steve said and closed the phone.

They finished the meal up as Steve told Callen the man they had been due to meet had to go to D.C.

Callen gave a sigh of relief; he hadn't wanted this mission to end just yet.

Finally arriving home they checked in with Macy, "It was a no show, but we have a name, Ian Donaldson. If Eric can find anything on him get Sam and Mike to check him out."

Macy nodded at the screen, "Keep on it, you have another month of this op authorized, Director Sheppard wants you both in place for the foreseeable future."

"Great!" Callen feigned disappointment.

"Sam and Mike are holding down the fort here, G. Nate says you can give him a call if you need anything."

"Sure." Callen laughed and closed the connection.

"Well Mrs. Callen, it looks like we will be here for a while." He said smirking at Kensi.

Following Steve in his work Callen managed to gather a load of information, Kensi had gotten quite a bit from Louisa as well, she had no idea what her husband was up to and she let a lot slip during their fitness sessions.

* * *

A month after the wedding, Kensi stopped out of breath as Louisa passed her on her morning run.

"Katie? Are you ok?" Louisa asked concerned for her friend.

"Yeah, I think I ate something funny." She said taking a breather.

"Yeah?" Louisa smirked. "You sure?"

Kensi nodded. "I don't feel so great, do you mind if we finish up early?" she asked.

They jogged slowly back to Louisa's house, Just as Kensi was about to get into the car Louisa called her, "Katie, hold on a sec." she walked into the house and came out with a small bag. "You might need this." She said handing Kensi the bag.

Kensi smiled and looked inside and her face fell, "No…!" she breathed in horror, "You don't think….?"

Louisa smiled, "Honey would it really be that bad?"

Kensi sank to her knees, "Yeah…Greg has a new career with Steve, and we have the house to pay for, we can't afford this." She said internally she was thinking Macy would kill her.

Louisa patted her back reassuringly. "Go home, take the test and talk to your husband, I'll call Steve and get him to send Greg home early."

"No…Don't, please…" Kensi begged.

Louisa smiled and waved as Kensi drove home.

The first thing they she did was run upstairs to the bathroom and take the test, by the time Callen got back she was sitting in the living room staring at the tiny piece of plastic that was sat on the coffee table.

"Katie!" Callen called.

"G…Greg…." Kensi stuttered remembering that there were microphones in the living room.

"Are you ok honey?" Callen asked dropping to his knees by her, "Katie, you're crying?"

Kensi pointed to the stick… "I need to lie down; Greg and we need to talk."

He followed her to the bedroom and closed the door, "Kenz you're scaring me, what's wrong?"

"G….I'm….we're pregnant." Kensi said and burst into tears.

Callen looked at the small stick with the two blue lines and sat heavily on the bed.

"How are we going to keep this from the others?" Kensi asked.

"I don't know, I will think of something. It'll be ok Kenz…I promise." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"We…I mean, you do want this child don't you?" Callen asked warily.

Kensi nodded, "I do, G, I know how much family means to you…I just don't want to lose my job or you."

"You won't lose either." Callen promised his wife.

There was only one thing he could think to do, sitting next to Kensi he grabbed his cell phone and called the one person he could trust and the one person he knew could help.

"Gibbs…I need you." Callen said.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs woke up to his cell phone ringing, he was surprised to hear Callen on the other end and even more surprised when Callen told him the problem he'd gotten into.

"Damn it Callen, that's why we have rule 12!" he snapped down the phone to his friend.

"Gibbs!" Callen replied sounding defeated, "I'm not dating her, I married her." He admitted.

Gibbs let out a small chuckle, "Well my friend you finally have the one thing you've always wanted, a family."

"Gibbs, we need to keep this quiet, If Macy or Shepard find out both our careers are over." Callen explained the situation to him.

"Give me a day, I'll be there." Gibbs said, he closed his phone and called DiNozzo telling him he needed to go away and for him to cover for him. After promising him that he wasn't in trouble and that no one would end up dead he went to the airport and booked a ticket to Los Angeles.

* * *

The next morning Kensi was making friends with the porcelain bowl as Gibbs knocked on the door.

"I'll get it Katie." Callen called, he opened the door to see Gibbs standing there.

"Hey Dad!" Callen said pointing to the door and signing bugs to Gibbs.

"Hey son, how are you?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm fine, thanks for coming over, I have that molding I wanted you to take a look at in the bedroom, did you want a coffee first?" He asked.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and Callen laughed. "Katie, Dad's here to look at that broken piece of molding, I'll bring him up in a sec." He called to his wife.

He poured Gibbs a coffee and the two of them walked upstairs and Callen relaxed as they shut the door. Kensi in a tank top and sweatpants sat hugging herself on the bed willing the nausea to go away and smiled at Callen as he gave her saltines and ginger ale.

"Thanks." She said taking the items gratefully.

"I talked to Jenny," Gibbs said and the pair of them looked at him scared.

Gibbs smiled, "it's ok, I didn't tell them about you too, just that I had a job in Mexico, with a Portuguese contact and that I needed someone who speaks fluent Portuguese, I told her you were on a job but that we could work it out and I had already talked to you too."

"W...What did she say?" Kensi asked her hand ghosting over her abdomen silently protecting the child they now knew was inside.

"She thinks it may tie into something she's running, but she's okayed it...Truth is your going to stay with Mike Franks."

"Mike!" Callen asked incredulously as Kensi looked on confused. "Can he keep this a secret?"

Gibbs smiled, "He has more secrets than you do."

Callen shrugged, "Not my fault." He moaned.

"Anyhow, Jen's gonna call Macy, how far along are you?"

"About 2 months, I don't need to go yet...do I?" Kensi asked holding tightly to Callen's hand.

Gibbs nodded "As soon as possible, your file will list you as being pulled to a deep cover assignment. Callen's assignment here is nearly over according to Jen so you need to go before anyone else figures it out. You need to pack now and come with me."

Kensi burst into tears and held onto Callen who kissed her gently, "It's going to be ok Kenz, I love you don't forget that, we can keep in touch via Gibbs."

"I can't do this alone." She sobbed.

"Mrs. Callen, you will not be alone, Mike will protect you and your child with his life, your secret will be kept." Gibbs said.

Kensi nodded and walked into the bathroom to change and freshen up.

Gibbs sat on the bed and looked at the man he had come to trust and care for as a son. "G, she'll be ok." He said noting the worried look on his face.

"She's all I have Gibbs, her and the baby I can't lose them." Callen said quietly.

"I owe you Callen and I will always have your six." Gibbs said, "Mike and I will protect them...I'm going to get another coffee, you need to say goodbye to your wife."

Gibbs went downstairs as Kensi came out of the bathroom. Callen sat on the bed as she ran into his arms, "I don't want to leave you." She sobbed holding him tightly.

"Kenz, I trust Gibbs with my life and both your and our child's life. You'll have the baby and then we'll work something out, I promise." He kissed her forcefully putting every ounce of his love behind it and held her tightly as she cried. Helping her pack he walked to the door and watched sadly as Gibbs left with her knowing he would not see her again for at least seven months.

* * *

With the Freeman case wrapped up, Steve and Louisa being arrested along with Ian Donaldson Callen had gone back to work, he was moody and temperamental but Sam shrugged it off as Callen being Callen, the only time his moods changed was when Gibbs rang him and they talked in Russian once a week about how Kensi and the baby were doing.

Early one morning Callen was walking around Kensi's house when his cell rang.

"Gibbs, what's wrong...you're not due to call until tomorrow." Callen said flustered.

He waited as there was silence over the end of the phone then a small laugh, "Congratulations Callen, it's a girl...Kensi gave birth to a 6lb 8oz girl this morning, Essalina Julia Callen has arrived." Gibbs grinned as he delivered the good news.

"Lena's here!" Callen could barely believe it, "How are they, How's Kensi?" he asked

"Mother and baby are doing well, Mike found a nanny for you, her name is Eva, Mike's known her for a while, and she's coming back to America with Kensi and your daughter."

"When?" Callen grabbed the worktop looking around Kensi's apartment and walking towards the empty room with the barest of baby things inside it.

"They'll be here in two days; you got a case right now?" Gibbs asked.

"No, so I can take time off, I'll tell Sam I'm apartment hunting again." Callen said.

"Well, daddy you had better get that room sorted, you haven't done it yet have you?" Gibbs asked.

"Er...No, I didn't want to jinx it." Callen looked at the clock, "Gibbs I have to go, I'm meeting Sam outside my latest motel in 20 minutes can you tell Kensi and Lena that I love them?"

Gibbs made a noise that sounded like a laugh, "Sure G," he said and hung up.

* * *

When Sam picked him up 20 minutes later Callen, bedroll in hand was sitting outside whistling and couldn't keep the grin off his face. "What's up with you?" He asked

"I heard from Kensi, her mission finished she'll be back with the team in a few days, I have to go to D.C. to debrief her before she comes back, Shepard's orders so I get to visit the capital, never been before, hence I'm smiling." Callen explained.

"You've NEVER been to D.C?" Sam asked.

Callen shook his head, "Nope," He lied.

Sam shrugged, "So I guess this means I have to put up with Eric and Renko by myself for a few days."

"Yep but then we will be a full team." Callen grinned.

"I suppose..." Sam trailed off, Callen was keeping a secret again, but then again Callen was team leader, when did he not keep secrets.

* * *

Standing at the door to Kensi's home he grinned as Mike Franks pulled up with Kensi and Essalina in the truck and a smaller car pulled up along behind. Callen had used the 3 days to fix up the baby's room, buy as much baby stuff as he could think of and fixed up the spare room for the nanny.

Callen ran down the porch steps and swept Kensi up in a passionate embrace and kissed her fiercely and then put her down and looked at the car seat that held his newborn daughter. Crying unashamedly he stroked the side of her face, "Hi baby girl, I'm your daddy." He breathed looking at her in awe. "My God Kenz, she's just beautiful, she looks just like you."

Kensi let out a small laugh, "My hair, your eyes and your attitude, she doesn't sleep."

* * *

Callen ushered his family into the house, Mike gratefully took the coffee Callen offered as he walked in. "So Probie says you guys are keeping this a secret?" Mike said to Callen, he'd heard the story from the others but not him.

"Yeah, I have too many enemies if they knew about my connection to Kensi and Lena it would put them in danger and Kensi would be taken off my team, she worked too hard to earn this spot, and I won't destroy this chance for her." Callen said flatly as Kensi sat beside him and snuggled into his warmth.

"So back to work soon then?" Mike asked Kensi.

She looked at Callen for confirmation and he nodded "Yeah, Eva's going to look after Lena and Kensi will be back at OSP tomorrow."

Eva walked in and motioned to Kensi. "O bebê se acalmou, se você não precisa de mim para qualquer coisa Eu irei e desempacotar?" she said.

Kensi nodded. "Obrigado Eva, espero que você vai ser feliz aqui conosco." She replied then turned to Callen, "Lena is settled and Eva is going to unpack." She translated loosely for him.

He smiled at her and walked Mike to the truck, "Thanks for all you've done Mike. Kensi and I talked about it and Gibbs is going to be her grandfather seeing as neither of us has parents and I wondered if you'd want to be her Godfather?"

"I'd be honored." Mike grinned as he started the truck up.

Callen waved at the truck and turned to go back to his house and his family.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Kensi had been back at work a month when they came across the case of PFC Chandler. He'd been caught with a large amount of money and after Sam and Callen had interrogated him, he had admitted that an arms dealer had insisted he bring the money and help him get his hands on some missiles.

That morning Kensi and Sam were on surveillance detail of Operation Blackbird, as Macy had dubbed it. Callen had got up and had taken Lena for her first set of baby shots. He'd taken the morning off, telling Macy he had a meet with a possible informant. Thinking it could be linked to their current case she'd allowed it. Lena had taken her shots like a pro, on her way to stake out PFC Chandler Kensi had taken the call from Callen to let her know her daughter was like her mother when it came to needles, brave. With a smile Kensi put the cell phone in her bag and turned the corner, spotting Chandler and his silver briefcase across the street. With a nod to Sam they picked up the Petty Officer, first class's tail.

When the first shots rang out Sam grabbed his gun and whirled trying to find Chandler and the shooter, losing them both he saw a car barreling directly towards Kensi who leapt over the hood of another car and out of harm's way.

"You good?" Sam asked at Kensi who nodded.

Mace, watching in the situation room, looked over Eric's shoulder. "Any sign of Chandler?" she asked.

"Negative Mace, Blackbird has flown, repeat Blackbird has flown." Sam said re-holstering his gun as Kensi looked around in defeat as the empty briefcase spewed its contents of money all down the road.

* * *

Kensi and Sam got back to headquarters, Kensi was sent to the ER to get checked out, it turned out she was sideswiped by the car and she had a nasty bruise on her torso.

Callen called, he checked in with Macy, let her know his lead might pan out but he'd be off grid for the rest of the day. He thought he had a lead with a two-bit arms dealer called Max Talia. She, knowing how good Callen was at his job let him run with it. She had let slip about what had happened earlier and the fact she'd sent the junior agent to the ER.

Pulling up outside the medical center, Callen rushed into ER. "I'm looking for Agent Blye."

"I'm sorry, she's with the doctor right now, are you family?" the nurse asked.

"I'm her partner, and next of kin." He informed her.

"Mr. Callen?" she asked.

He nodded, "Does she have anyone with her right now?" he asked.

The nurse shook her head, "Ms Blye is alone, and does she have family we can call?"

"I'm her husband, is there anything wrong?" he asked a tight knot forming.

The nurse ushered him into Kensi's room.

Callen walked over to Kensi and held her tight, "You ok babe?" he asked.

Kensi smiled, "Sam's not with you then?" she asked

"Mace has got him filling out after action reports, and he's pissed, thinks it's his fault you nearly got killed."

Kensi rolled her eyes, "For goodness sake, I wasn't nearly killed!"

Callen lifted Kensi's shirt to look at the large purple bruise forming on her ribs. "I think I'll be carrying Lena for a few days till that heals."

After the nurse returned with Kensi's painkillers and she was free to go Callen took her home.

* * *

Eva took one look at Kensi and shook her head, muttering something Callen didn't understand but Kensi did and she shot her a look as she went into Lena's room.

Essalina lay in her crib, smiling as her parents came into view.

Callen stood behind Kensi wrapping his arms gently around her as they gazed at their four month old daughter. She lifted her head and gave what Callen called the 'stop looking and pick me up' look.

Lifting her up Callen carried his daughter to the living room and lay her gently on Kensi as he went to make dinner.

"Don't you have plans with Sam?" Kensi asked.

"Na, he thinks I'm moving again." Callen smirked. "Told him it's too hot. So I've taken a room on Ocean Front Road in Venice, at a small motel, gonna text him to pick me up from there in the morning."

"Eventually we are going to have to tell him." Kensi reasoned.

Callen put a plate in front of Kensi and lifted Lena up and positioned her so he could feed her from her bottle.

As they ate Callen thought about telling Sam, but with the line of work they were in he decided against it for now, "We can't tell them Kenz, Mace'll split us up and Sam…Well, I'd hate to think what the big guy would do,"

"If he had a family I doubt he would tell us." Kensi said.

"He does a wife and a daughter, he mentioned them but I don't think he knows I know, he was talking to Macy." Callen said.

Kensi nodded, with the painkillers and the comforting feel of her daughter on her she fell asleep. Callen took Lena to her crib, changed her and got her settled and then carried his wife to bed.

* * *

Early the next morning Callen was awoken by his cell phone ringing. "Callen." He said half asleep.

"G, it's Gibbs, I think we have a case that intersects yours, PFC Chandler, we found him this morning, I'm on my way to LA with an agent, he's just grabbing the tickets now, I may have time before we have to start work, thought I could meet up with you and you could give me some photo's of that lovely granddaughter of mine.

Callen smiled. "Sure thing Pops. Usual place?" he asked

"Yeah." Gibbs replied and the phone went dead.

"Kenz, Gibbs and a DC Agent are on their way here. Apparently they found PFC Chandler. Gonna need you in place while I make contact with Max Talia today, how's your ribs?" he asked kissing her awake.

She stretched, "Sore but good, I can work Callen, you need to go if your meeting Sam."

"Change of plan, I have some things to do, I'll stay with Lena for a while then I'll leave. Don't worry I'll be there for the op with Talia."

"You'll freak out Mace again." Kensi smiled as she jumped in the shower.

Callen just grinned and went to get his daughter up.

* * *

Gibbs looked at the photo's that Callen handed him of Lena, she had grown so much in the last few months, he could see a lot of Callen in her, and also Kensi's smile and her color hair.

Callen yawned, he'd been up four times with Lena last night, "So is there a reason we're meeting here and not a bar?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, it's ten am." Gibbs replied.

Callen smiled, "So," Gibbs continued, "You still looking?" he asked referring to his search for his family.

Callen nodded, "Still looking." He replied, more than ever now he had a family of his own did he feel the pull of finding out about his own family, just something he could share with his wife and daughter.

Gibbs stood up and they headed back in, Gibbs to OSP and Callen to his pre-arranged meet with Talia.

* * *

Finally after a long day, as many of the suspects as possible were rounded up, Callen had taken on the persona of Liam Doyle an Irish arms dealer and his contact, Nick Quadiri had turned out to be none other than Mossad operative Michael Rivkin having sent him on his way, with the help of Gibbs. Callen returned to his 'home' on Ocean Front road in Venice, he figured an hour here and then he'd head back to his real home.

Sam smirked at Callen as he pulled up to the corner next to the fruit stall, as Callen leaned back considering letting his partner into his secret.

"So G, when are you going to settle down, you know find a nice girl?" Sam joked.

Callen smiled to himself as he got out of the car, 'if only you knew Sam.' He thought to himself, he let out a smile at the pretty blonde Russian girl who had been trying to get his attention for the last few days, he'd felt guilty for the way he and Gibbs had brushed her off in the park earlier that day and with Sam's question ringing in his ear he walked towards his rooming house.

Sam smiled at his partner, in his mind nothing would ever be strong enough to tie down the lone wolf that is G Callen. He looked up as he started to drive off and his blood ran cold as the dark blue van with a man holding a machine gun drove past at speed.

"G!" Sam screamed realizing the danger his partner was in. His heart stopped as the shots rang out, five of them hitting their intended target.

"I need an ambulance, Ocean front road, Venice." Sam yelled into his phone.

Callen groaned, his voice but a whisper, "Kenz, Lena…." He murmured.

"Come on G! Hold on!" Sam yelled rocking his lifeless partner in his arms.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Kensi walked into the LA offices, Callen had left early with Sam to go back to the cover house as he called it. Eva had Lena and she knew she'd be able to get a few hours paperwork under the belt before her husband arrived home with dinner.

Sat at her desk she watched Macy take a call and pace up and down her office. The more she tried to work on her paperwork the more she was increasingly drawn to Macy. Sure she got agitated before a big case, but this seemed different. Macy opened her door, "NATE!" she yelled, causing every employee within earshot to jump.

Kensi shrugged Gibbs had just left and Callen had told her there was some tension between those two but this seemed over the top.

Nate ran into Macy's office and Kensi watched as Macy collapsed down onto her desk. Nate helped her to her chair and motioned for Kensi. "You and Renko need to get in here." He called around the door. Mike, at the next desk shrugged and followed her up the stairs.

"Mace, you ok?" Kensi asked concerned.

Mace sat in her chair shaking…. "I have some bad news…Agent Callen was shot in a drive by shooting an hour ago."

Kensi bit the inside of her mouth to keep from screaming Nate noticed her looking shaky and offered her a chair which she gratefully accepted as her tears began to fall.

"Is he….?" She couldn't bring herself to as if she was a widow.

"Sam's with him now, he's in surgery…" Mace replied.

Kensi stood up, "I need to go now."

"Kensi, I know we are all concerned about Agent Callen, but you need to be here now."

Kensi stood up and walked out of Macy's office, "Agent Blye!"

"NO!" Kensi said grabbing her purse, "I'm going to the hospital Mace," she walked past a shocked Nate and out of the building.

Nate looked at Macy who was stunned by this outburst, "The team is very tight knit Mace you should let her go." He advised looking at Renko for support.

* * *

Macy sighed and turned as her phone started ringing. "Out." She ordered the two remaining men who only too glad of the excuse to leave hightailed it out of her office to inform the others of Callen's shooting.

"Macy..." she said as she answered the phone.

"Hetty, it's been a long time, it's not a good on right now…" Macy started and then stopped as the tirade started on the other end.

"Hetty… I didn't know!" Macy tried to defend herself, "Yes Callen told me about the girl following him, I thought…." She held the phone away from her ear as Hetty tore her off a strip.

"I'm being what!" she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Transferred…but what about this department…the team?"

She sighed as Hetty filled her in on the fact that she was indeed being transferred to NCIS in Camp Pendleton and that in fact Hetty was moving to take over as director of operations at the office of special projects.

* * *

Sam was standing outside the hospital trying to call Macy as he caught a glimpse of what looked like Kensi going into the building. He shook his head there was no way she could know yet as he hadn't even called his boss.

Kensi saw Sam on the phone but made it past him and into the building. She went up to the nurses' station; the nurse from the other night was there.

"Mrs. Callen?" she said surprised.

"Rosie!" Kensi smiled, she had liked this nurse "I heard Callen's here, I need a favor, I'm known as Kensi Blye to my co-workers, it's important that they don't know we're married." She said urgently glancing in the direction of the door lest Sam walk in.

Rosie the old romantic that she was understood completely, she had seen them when Kensi had been hurt, the way her husband had been in front of his partner, and the way they had both been loving and attentive when no one was around. There was a couple on staff at the hospital that had done the same thing, married in secret and kept a working relationship up so they couldn't be moved to different departments; however when the wife had been killed in a road traffic accident it had all come out and the husband had been devastated.

"It's ok dear; your secret is safe with me." She patted Kensi's hand reassuringly. She looked up to see the annoying partner of Mr. Callen's come in and she sighed, "Try to keep him under control…please!" she begged with a pained grin.

Kensi nodded, "Can you tell me how Callen is?" she asked as Sam walked up behind her.

"We contacted his next of kin and they gave the go ahead for his surgery, we won't know anymore until it is over." Rosie said looking sadly at the worry on the face of the young woman.

Sam and Kensi walked to the waiting room.

"I wonder who Callen's next of kin is?" Sam mused,

Kensi shrugged, "I don't have a clue." She admitted truthfully, she had thought it was her, but obviously Callen hadn't for one reason or another changed it over.

* * *

Kensi's phone vibrated, "I have to take this." She said and walked over to the corner. "Blye," she answered.

"It's Gibbs, I got a call from the hospital about Callen…is it true?" he asked.

"Yeah." Kensi replied keeping her voice stable.

"OK, I can't get back there, I assume his other Next of Kin has been called, she'll take care of everything…"Gibbs said.

"Who is it?" Kensi asked.

"Hetty Lange, She's Macy's boss, just under Leon Vance and Owen Granger."

"Oh, how come she's Callen's next of kin…are they related?"

Gibbs laughed, "Nope apart from you and Lena as far as I know Callen has no immediate family, she's just always been around. You look after that family of yours Kenz; I want my boy back in one piece."

"He'll be back. He won't leave us." She said with absolute certainty.

"I know." Gibbs replied and hung up.

Kensi looked at Sam who was still preoccupied and she called Eva to let her know that there had been an accident and could she look after Lena until she got back from the hospital. Eva said she would and Kensi turned her attention back to the matter at hand.

* * *

Sam and Kensi sat in the room for what seemed like hours until another person walked in. Ignoring the two agents sitting together in the chairs she walked up to the nurses' station.

"Mr. Callen's surgeon." She ordered.

"Mr. Callen is still in surgery." Rosie told her.

The small woman smiled, "Call you will find they finished five minutes ago, tell Matthew that Hetty Lange is here and I need….." she stopped as the surgeon walked out.

"Henrietta…." Matthew Lloyd smiled at his old friend.

"Matthew how's my boy?" she asked.

Matthew looked around is anyone else here for him?

"Mr. Hanna and Ms Blye his co-workers," she said, both of whom looked at each other in amazement; she hadn't even looked at them.

Both of them walked over to the two. "How is he?" Sam asked

"Mr. Callen suffered from multiple gunshot wounds, one was close to his heart, he was stabilized but he will be weak and off work for at least six months while his wounds heal, I would suggest therapy, but well…." He shrugged, "It is Callen."

"You know him?" Kensi couldn't help but ask.

Matthew Lloyd smiled, "I've been patching Callen up since he was a kid, Ms. Lange here…" He stopped at the look she was giving him, "Well let's just say, Mr. Callen and I have had a lot of dealings."

Hetty looked up at the doctor, "Matthew a moment?" she asked and they walked off leaving the two agents alone in the waiting room.

* * *

Walking back Hetty stopped and looked over at the two agents. "Mr. Callen will be fine, OSP will be moving to new premises in case Mr. Callen was compromised, you both have a week off, I will inform Mr. Renko, Mr. Getz and Mr. Beale," she told them,

"Hold on!" Sam squared up to the woman, a look from her made him regret doing so. "Just who are you, OSP is classified." He said.

Hetty smiled as if to a small child, "Mr. Hanna, I am Henrietta Lange, Lara Macy's replacement and your new operations manager. Now, you cannot do anything more for your partner tonight. I suggest you go home to your family and get some rest."

Sam paled at the diminutive woman's announcement that she knew about his family, it wasn't something he had told many people about, she unnerved him and he didn't like it, but he turned and walked away as instructed anyway.

Hetty shot Kensi a look as if trying to figure something out, she shrugged and walked away.

"I'll stay Sam, you go home and can take over in the morning, and we don't have to go to work, so we can stay here, make sure Callen isn't alone."

Sam nodded and gave her a small hug and left.

Kensi walked to the ladies room shut the door to her stall and cried, mostly out of worry for her husband but a part of it was relief, he was going to be ok.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Callen woke up, the pain dulled, but he knew he'd been shot. He looked over to see Kensi sitting in a chair watching him.

"Kenz?" he croaked and she held his hand tighter.

"I thought I had lost you." She said letting a tear fall.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know…I take it everyone knows now." He asked.

Kensi kissed him gently, "No your secret is still safe, No one knows about us, we had the same nurse from the other night, she kept our secret."

"So not fired then?" he said with a small grin.

In spite of herself Kensi smiled. "No, Macy has been."

"Why?" Callen asked, he pressed the button on the bed that raised the head a little and looked at her.

"Dunno, I think they thought she hadn't done her job properly as you were compromised. Some little woman has her job now, scary woman, she unnerves me."

"Little?"

"God, G. She's about four feet tall and scarier than one of Nate's psych evals!" Kensi said straight faced.

Callen burst into a tired smile, "Hetty…." His face fell, "We're doomed."

* * *

"What?"

"If anyone will figure out we are married it's her." He sighed.

"Not if we don't tell her…how can she?" Kensi asked stroking his hand.

"Hetty knows everything; I've never been able to hide anything from her." Callen admitted.

"So you know her?" Kensi asked.

Callen nodded, "about 2 years now, she recruited me to NCIS…well that's the first time I talked to her, it's weird, I've seen her about most of my life, I asked her once, she said she was just looking out for me, she thought I'd make a good agent."

He looked at the clock in the room, "Where is Lena?" he asked concerned.

"She is with the Eva; she will be fine, once you come home and recuperate…"

"I can't come home." Callen interrupted her, "Sam will be on me like a dog with a bone. If he finds out I have a house, a wife and a child…I can kiss my partnership goodbye."

For a second Kensi turned away, this hurt, she wasn't going to pretend otherwise. But she understood where he was coming from. They had after all both agreed this would be best, she turned back to find Callen grinning at her.

"You know this is going to be fun seeing how long we can keep this from Hetty."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I suppose you're right, we have time off anyway, all active cases have been transferred to San Diego."

"What just because I got shot?" Callen asked incredulously.

Kensi looked at him with a sigh, "No dear." She said and Callen smirked. "But we don't know who shot you and you might have been compromised, Macy's been transferred and we are moving the whole operation to a new secured site."

Callen smiled to himself, Hetty was totally being Hetty. "Yeah she always did like to err on the side of caution."

* * *

The door knocked and the woman herself entered.

"Ms Blye, Mr. Callen I hope I'm not intruding?" she asked,

Callen smiled, "I'm not going anywhere Hetty, and you can come in."

Hetty smiled and entered the room walking over to Callen's bed and holding his hand, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot five times." He smirked.

"It is good to see you can keep your sense of humor." Hetty smiled taking the seat that Kensi vacated.

"I…I should be going…" Kensi said shooting Callen a look.

Hetty smiled, "I would never dream of taking you away from your husband my dear."

Both Kensi and Callen looked like frightened Rabbits.

Hetty smiled again, "I did think that the wedding certificate I received in both of your names looked genuine."

"We can explain." Callen said quickly. "It was an accident, we were undercover and ended up in a wedding chapel with our suspects who insisted we tie the knot there and then, we have applied for a divorce. We never consummated the marriage Hetty; it's just taking a while for them to process our divorce papers." He said quickly shooting Kensi a look.

"That explains a lot," Hetty said. "So you are still in the process of looking for somewhere to live?" she asked him.

"My stuff's in the corner." He pointed with the one arm that wasn't attached to an I.V across the room to where his 'go' bag and bedroll sat.

"Still travelling light I see." She replied. "Ms Blye if you wish to go home and freshen up I will stay with Mr. Callen for a few hours." She said.

Kensi looked at Callen who gave a small imperceptible nod.

"Thanks Hetty I will, I'll see you tomorrow Callen, get some rest." She said mouthing "I love you." Behind Hetty's back.

Callen smiled and lay back onto the pillows and closed his eyes for a second.

"Are you sure you want to get a divorce?" Hetty asked softly after Kensi had been gone for about 5 minutes and Callen hadn't opened his eyes back up.

"Of course, she's a junior agent it would be inappropriate for me to have a relationship with her." He responded.

"You both make a nice couple."

"Hetty!"

* * *

She smiled and sank back into the chair she was currently occupying, she knew she had shocked them which in her opinion served them right as she had been shocked when her contact had told her that Callen had gotten married. She watched as yet again he dozed in a medicated sleep. She had been watching him for years, but had only made contact with him two years ago, just as he'd been facing being fired from the DEA. He'd broke cover during an operation to save a child who'd been placed with a suspect as a foster child, having watched this child get beaten night after night and having begged his boss to get the kid out of there Callen had taken it upon himself to storm the house where the child was getting his nightly beating and had threatened the foster father with a gun, apparently to the shock of his teammates smiling as the suspect wet himself and had carried the half conscious boy, past his screaming boss and all the way to a local medical center for treatment.

His boss had threatened to drum him out of every law enforcement agency in America until Hetty had stepped in albeit unknowingly on Callen's behalf and then had proceeded to track him down and offer him a job at NCIS. Which he had begrudgingly accepted.

The boy, although Callen had never asked officially, had recovered well and was adopted by a nice family who treated him well. Deep down though, Hetty suspected that the Mr. Gibbs who sent the boy a card on his birthday and a present each year at Christmas and who donated to his college fund every year was the same man who currently lay asleep in front of her.

Watching him sleep she sighed, she knew working with him was going to be a challenge, more so for her than him, seeing Clara's boy every day and not being able to tell him what she knew about his past, knowing how desperately he wanted to know was going to be a challenge.

Realizing he would be asleep for a while she walked to the door and into the hallway before picking up her phone.

"Jethro…Hetty." She said as the other party answered.

"He is going to be fine, I've just seen him. He will be off for a few months as he recuperates. It was very close Jethro." She sighed as she listened to him on the other end.

"Yes…I'm taking over from Ms. Macy, I need to be close to him, to make sure this doesn't happen again." She said.

Listening as Gibbs sent his regards to Callen and instructions for her to keep him in the loop she looked at the phone as he hung up on her. She smiled; Jethro Gibbs was the only one with the balls to do that.

* * *

Kensi arrived home as Eva was putting Essalina to bed.

"How is Mr. Callen?" Eva asked handing Kensi her daughter.

"He's going to be ok, but it will be a while before he can come home."

"That is a shame, Lena will miss him." She said turning to pick up the few toys Essalina had dropped during the day.

Kensi nodded, "You just finish up, I'll stay with Lena this evening." She told her.

Kensi lifted her daughter to her shoulder and walked into her room and sank down on her and Callen's bed holding the little girl close to her.

Slowly she stroked Lena's hair and allowed her tears to fall, Callen had spent nights away from her before, but this was different he would have to spend nearly all his time away from her to keep their cover intact. "I'm sure daddy will come and see you as soon as he can though." She whispered to Lena through her tears. Her biggest fear, the one gnawing in her gut was the way he'd told Hetty that they were getting divorced and that everything was a cover she wasn't sure that he'd hadn't been telling the truth when he said they were putting in the paperwork for the divorce.

 


	7. Chapter 7

For two weeks Kensi stayed away from the hospital. She wasn't sleeping and her mood was not only effecting Lena at home, but Sam and the new guy Dominic had noticed as well.

"Hey Kensi…we got the lockers set up if you want to move your stuff back to the office." Sam said as she walked into the new building.

"It's nice," she said looking around.

"Callen's gonna flip." Sam grinned.

"Who's Callen?" Dominic asked her, Kensi glared and walked off to see Hetty.

Hetty smiled at her, "You'll be pleased to know Mr. Callen gave me all of the completed paper work, you are now a free woman again."

Kensi was shocked and but quickly managed to mask it, "Thank you Hetty, I…I have to go show the new guy around."

"Ah yes our Mr. Vail, he is your new partner, it is good that you are both getting along so well." Hetty said.

Kensi nodded her mind racing. She turned and walked past Dom, "Kensi where you going?" Sam called.

"Doughnuts." She snapped and walked out the door. Sam turned and started giving the new guy a lecture on how when it was Kensi's time of the month, he had better bring the doughnuts to work.

She got out of sight of the cameras and threw up, He had done it, and he had got a divorce and left her and Lena without any word. The more she thought about it the madder she got.

She climbed in her car and headed straight to the hospital.

* * *

Callen was sat with his bag packed waiting for the doctor to come and discharge him, there was still another month before he could go back to work, but he needed to leave and get into that motel he'd found with the awesome beach view that would keep Sam off his tail, and more than that he needed to see his wife and his daughter, he had missed Lena and Kensi enormously while he was in here. He'd called in a favor from a friend of Mike Franks and had a fake divorce written up to keep Hetty off his tail, but he hadn't been able to get a hold of Kensi and this was worrying him.

He looked up as the door opened and his wife stood there, and then did a double take as she looked mad.

"Kenz?" he asked walking towards her.

"Why didn't you tell me? How can you do this to us?" Kensi asked tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Kensi, what's wrong baby?" he asked concerned gathering her up in his arms and kissing the top of her head.

She pulled herself out of his arms, "You divorced us…you didn't even ask how I felt, but Hetty tells you that you need to get a divorce and you just do it!"

"A…what? Wait! Kensi…I never, they are fake, honey a friend of Mikes did them, it's just for work, I love you baby, I love Essalina there is no way I would ever leave either of you." He promised.

Kensi held him breathing in his scent and warmth, "I…I was so mad, I felt like I was going to die."

"If you left me I would die, Can….can I steal a kiss?" he asked.

She smiled at him, "Honey, they all belong to you," she said turning and kissing him passionately.

The pair of them were so wrapped up that they jumped as the doctor walked in the room.

"Mr. Callen?" the doctor asked.

Callen nodded, "Yeah."

"I have your paperwork, you need to come back for your physical therapy, and I have a prescription for your meds,"

Callen signed the discharge forms and grabbed his bag.

"I'll be over later tonight, after Sam's left, I need to see Lena and be with you." He kissed her again as she smiled at him.

Hearing Sam's voice in the hall she got a doughnut out of the bag and handed it to him, "just go with it." She hissed.

"So the new guy Hetty's got in didn't even bring doughnuts! Kensi said as she quickly sat in the chair as Callen turned to put his shoes on.

"Hey G." Sam said as he caught the end of the conversation. "In his defense Kensi it was his first day."

Kensi rolled her eyes, "But everyone knows you bring doughnuts for your partner. It's a rule!" she said.

Sam laughed, "You ready to leave G, Kenz you have better head back your new partner is looking lost."

Callen stuffed his doughnut in his mouth before his wife could steal it back.

Kensi shot him a look and grabbed the box, "Fine, you get well soon G, I'll come and see you again, or we'll meet up ok."

"Ok." Callen replied, unable to resist the glance at her ass as she walked out the door, God he loved that woman! Luckily Sam who was busy trying to tie his shoe laces for him didn't see it.

"So we off." Sam said.

"Santa Monica, got a motel room right on the beach," Callen grinned as he followed Sam out.

* * *

He'd been there 3 weeks, Kensi had brought Lena over twice and they'd spent the day on the beach, as a family. Hetty had said nothing about them still being together and from what Kensi had told him; it seemed that Hetty had believed the paperwork.

Lena was growing fast and was beginning to be a handful to Eva, the nanny. But between Eva and Kensi, Lena was growing up fine, Callen hated that right now as Sam insisted on visiting as did everyone else, that he had to stay there, more than anything he wanted to cuddle up with his wife at night in his own bed listening to the sound of his daughter breathing softly on the baby monitor. Not being able to do that made him irritable.

He stared out of the window at the Ferris wheel on the pier, his bed roll on the floor, there was no way he was sleeping in a bed without his wife even though it had been made up with fresh sheets by the maid by accident that morning. It was getting late and the lights were twinkling. Callen jumped as the door knocked.

Grabbing his gun he held it as the handle turned and the door opened.

"Jesus!" he gasped as he quickly lowered his gun. "I nearly shot you!"

Kensi smiled as she shut and locked the door behind her.

"Where's Lena?"

"Eva's taken her away for the weekend to see Grandpa Gibbs in D.C." Kensi said with a smile, "Sam's gone away with his family before work starts up again, and Hetty is on her vacation to the south of France…something about climbing a mountain."

Callen stopped as a smile covered his face, "So we're alone….as in City safe alone!" he exclaimed.

Kensi nodded, "You can take me out on the town." She smiled dropping her bag beside the bed.

"Later," Callen growled and walked over to kiss her passionately and lowered her onto the bed.

* * *

A lot later Kensi carefully traced the new scars that covered Callen's torso. "Does it still hurt baby?" she asked.

"Uh huh." Callen nodded.

"Here?" she asked and kissed him.

He nodded with a wry grin, "And here," he pointed to another spot "And here." Kensi laughed and kissed him again.

She suddenly sat up, "So Mr. Callen, you gonna take me out to dinner."

He smiled as he realized with the main team members out of town, he could do that.

"Why yes Mrs. Callen I believe I will. So, honey, shower?" he asked.

Kensi grabbed the top sheet leaving him lying naked on the bed as she walked towards the bathroom. "Coming?" she asked over her shoulder as she walked out of sight.

"Hell yes!" He growled and jumped up to follow her smiling and closed the bathroom door with a grin as she giggled in the background.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Callen cleared the last of his and Kensi's trash into a bag and threw it down the chute; he'd had one of the most perfect weekends with his wife since they had been married.

Sam was due to pick him up in an hour, Kensi already knew he was due in later she'd left early that morning, heading home to grab a change of clothes before she headed into work, Lena would be coming home later with Eva after their weekend away in D.C.

He jumped in the shower, quickly washed and dressed and packed up the last of his things before locking up on his 'home away from home' for the last time. Dropping the key off with the clerk he headed outside to a street vendor and grabbed his morning coffee. Sat on the wall he drank his first cup of the day and sent Kensi a text on their burn phones.

' _Morning beautiful missed you when I woke up, am coming in today, and should be home tonight.'_ He sent.

He smiled as she sent him a smiley face back.

Knowing that meant both that she was already at work and that she was happy he went to grab his second cup of the day as Sam pulled up in the challenger.

"What's wrong with this place then?" He asked "Too hot?"

"Too noisy, the last one was too hot." Callen smiled as he went to grab his bag.

His partner mindful of his injuries grabbed the bag for him and carried it to the car.

* * *

Before long they were pulling up to a ramshackle building, Callen smirked as he climbed out of the car. "Condemned?" he asked.

At the question Sam grinned broadly, "Only on the outside G."

He walked inside and was surprised by the amount of people in the building and how high tech the inside seemed to be. He looked over and saw Kensi on the phone, realizing by the tone of her voice and the few words of Portuguese he had picked up that she was talking to Eva. Kensi saw him and put the phone back down and walked over and hugged him.

"Callen, I though you callously abandoned us for the FBI." She said, "Everything's fine, tell you later." she whispered in his ear.

Callen nodded for a second breathing in her scent and then he released her as memories of the weekend before assailed him. He saw a man he'd never met in the corner messing with a new coffee machine and after finding out that the new guy's name wasn't Green, but that he was a new guy he turned and saw Hetty watching him.

"Mr. Callen, I thought you weren't due back for another month." She said.

Callen grinned he knew he'd thrown her for a loop, and after making him get a 'divorce' he felt he owed it to mess with her a little.

He got his biometrics checked out and grabbed the outfit that Hetty had given him to wear.

Inside the cubicle he sat on the wooden chair and let his mask slip a little.

'Cold yet well-meaning embrace of the welfare system?' Who was she kidding, she was just reminding him he wasn't the same as her other agents, didn't even have a name…Well he made quite sure that that would never happen to his child. He slowly got dressed and hoped that the day would pass quickly because right now he wanted nothing more than to get home to his wife and daughter where they could be a family without any pretenses.

His hopes of a quiet day were quickly dashed as Director Vance came onscreen with a case which took most of the day to handle.

* * *

Callen and Sam went to find out why the Naval Commander had been killed, and was surprised to find it had a lot to do with his missing niece Emma.

Kensi had already been to Emma's home once with Nate, it was her own gut feeling that sent her there again, they set up after finding out that she had been kidnapped awaiting a ransom.

Emma's mother walked out onto her patio and with a coffee in hand leant over the railing searching for any sign of her daughter as Kensi came to join her.

"I miss her so much." She said.

Kensi nodded, "They'll find her my team is the best at what they do."

"Really? I hate sitting her I want to be out there looking for her." She said a lone tear escaping as her free hand absentmindedly stroked the tassels on Emma's bike.

"You're better off waiting here."

"Ms. Blye, do you have children?" she asked.

Kensi turned around; Nate was messing with the tracing equipment so she decided to be candid with her. "I do a daughter." She smiled; she pulled out her burn phone and showed her the picture of Callen holding Lena."

"Boyfriend?" She asked.

"Husband." Kensi confirmed, "Callen, one of the men looking for your daughter, and Essalina Rose, our daughter." She said, "Although we really aren't telling anyone for her safety." She admitted.

"You have a beautiful family." She said, "Your husband, will he bring her home?" she asked.

Kensi smiled, "I can honestly tell you he'll work as hard to find your daughter as he would if it were his own child that were missing." She told the woman.

"Thank you."

Finally the little girl was found safe, Callen handed her the phone as soon as Kensi had handed her phone to the mother.

He walked to the corner of the pool and looked out over the impressive view of Los Angeles that the building afforded, listening to Emma talk to her mother he realized how much he missed Essalina and her mother. Sam gave him a look as he noticed the wistful look on his face; he shrugged it off as he knew that Sam would be thinking it was only due to his own lack of a stable parent in his life.

Finally the day was over and Callen was about to leave as Hetty handed him a huge pile of paperwork.

"You owe me some paperwork Mr. Callen." She said handing him the forms, He smiled back non committally, waiting until Hetty left and shooting Kensi a apologetic look, to which he got a grin and a slight eye roll.

Three hours later, Hetty turned to leave the building and she saw Callen asleep on the couch, gently she pulled the blanket on the back over him and smiling softly she walked out of the building.

Callen waited until he heard the large wooden door close then he opened his eyes.

He sat up and grabbed his bag; she couldn't follow him if she had already left. He waited another ten minutes tidying his work station and getting his files in order so that he could go home. Walking around to the main underground garage, he looked around and in the corner under a tarpaulin he spotted it. It had as he'd hoped survived the move, no one knowing who's it was but bringing it just in case.

He grabbed a cloth and gave her a quick rub down, "Hello baby, D'ya miss me." He smirked as he lovingly polished his Indian motorcycle. It had been a gift from Gibbs after the Russian mission where he had saved his life and the two of them had become fast friends. Hetty, he knew would have a fit if she ever caught him riding it, but it was his secret vice, and one of the few things he'd kept with him from his younger days.

He climbed on her; put the key in the ignition and grinned from ear to ear as he started her up.

* * *

20 minutes later as he pulled up outside his house, Kensi was standing on the doorstep looking amused at the motorcycle.

"Hetty would have a fit if she saw that." She said.

Callen grabbed her and gave her a passionate kiss that literally took her breath away, "Hetty would have a fit if she saw that too!" he smirked "I won't tell if you don't," he teased.

Kensi pulled him inside and closed the door; Eva put her coat on and headed for the door.

"You are leaving Eva?" Callen asked.

"Eva has her own apartment now, she lives a block away, close by if we get called in, but enough privacy so she can have her alone time." Kensi informed him.

Callen wondered what that was all about but wisely said nothing. "See you tomorrow then." He said as she walked out of the door.

"Where's Lena?" he asked.

He turned and stopped as a small hand grabbed his pant leg, "You learned to crawl!" he grinned picking up his little girl.

Lena grinned and tried to pull herself up; Callen couldn't resist and lifted the small girl into his arms. "Hey baby girl," he kissed her cheek as she turned her head and gave him a slobbery open mouthed kiss on the cheek.

"Yuk!" he laughed and wiped off her baby drool.

"She missed you." Kensi said watching Callen carry her to the sofa and stand her in his lap.

"Did you have a nice time at Grandpa Gibbs?" He asked her in a sing song voice.

Kensi smiled "Eva said she was spoiled rotten, Gibbs sent a ton of things back with her."

Callen nodded having already seen the new toys and things Gibbs had sent back.

"So what's going on with Eva, you were yelling at her as I got to work today?"

Kensi sighed, "While I was with you in the hospital Eva was bringing her boyfriend back here. I just wasn't happy about it and suggested she got her own apartment." She said.

Callen put his arm around Kensi, "That's ok, you guys are still ok aren't you?" he asked.

Kensi nodded, "We're fine, and Eva loves Lena too much to leave this job."

Callen laid back on the sofa his wife in one arm and his daughter in the other, and finally, totally content and feeling safe, he fell asleep.

 


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a few months, Kensi and Callen were back at home together, Lena was slowly finding her feet and walking a few steps at a time, and Eva had after moving out settled into her apartment down the block.

Back at work they had settled into a routine and even Hetty had taken the paperwork and believed that they had finally gotten around to a divorce.

"Cowboy bar on Sunset." Sam said as they sat around the bullpen.

"With the mechanical bull?" Callen asked leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah."

"No, Hetty plus mechanical bull plus tequila equals bar fight. Trust me; I've been there- Dom? Is that a doll?" Callen asked with a barely disguised grin.

"Uh, no." Dom said uncomfortably, "This is one of only 500 Alpha Centauri Imperial Class Guardian Bobble-heads in the entire world." He said "It's... not a doll."

"You're playing with an alien doll?" Sam asked incredulously. "At work?"

Dominic looked over at his team mates as a junior member of the team he was used to getting hazed, but this, this he was passionate about and he was going to stick his ground. "There is a difference between dolls and bobble-heads. And Imperial Class Alpha Centauris' are only part alien. The other part is cyborg, I mean, everyone..."

"How about Disneyland?" Sam interjected desperate to change the subject from dolls.

"I hate Disneyland." Kensi said.

"Kensi hates Disneyland." Callen said at the same time.

"The happiest place on Earth?" Sam asked stunned.

Kensi looked affronted, "I have issues with grown men in furry costumes." She stated.

"Unless it's Thursday night." Callen said, not thinking but remembering the last Thursday night.

Callen himself was looking forward to the team night out, Eva had offered to baby-sit and he was looking forward to some alone time with Kensi.

They continued talking about it until Hetty came in.

* * *

"Mr. Callen you have had an Email." Hetty said walking into the bullpen.

Both Callen and Kensi looked over at her quizzically, "Or rather, Jason Tedrow has received an Email."

"Tedrow?" Sam asked.

"An old alias." Callen said, not wanting to elaborate any further.

"I don't remember it?" Sam said confused.

Callen smiled sadly as he remembered, "You were on assignment in Afghanistan." He said and walked out following Hetty.

Kensi watched him go and bit her lip worried, but quickly turned her attention to her partner and his 'bobble-head'.

* * *

Callen walked out of Christine Donnelly's house looking back at the small blond haired boy in the window.

He turned back and frowned looking at Sam leaning on the side of the car Callen had driven to Christine's house.

"You know, I spotted your tail a half mile into my drive." Callen said walking over to Sam

"If you spotted me, you would have tried to shake me." Sam said confidently.

"Uh-huh. It was that, uh, leapfrog maneuver on Olympic that gave you away." Callen smirked

"You wish." Sam said and fixed Callen with a deep stare.

"What?" Callen said moving uneasily and trying to walk to the car.

"You got involved with Jon Donnelly's sister during the case." Sam said.

Callen looked affronted, "She was never a suspect or a witness, okay? It was deep cover. I just used her to gain the trust of her brother's crew." He said justifying himself to his partner.

Sam looked at him and scoffed, "Okay..." Callen said holding his palms up in surrender. "So I got close to her. She doesn't know my real name. The man she fell in love with doesn't even exist." He reasoned.

"What about the kid?" Sam asked, the kid in the window did seem to look like Callen, same blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"He was never a suspect, either, but he did seem a little shifty." Callen joked nervously.

"Who's the kid's father?" Sam asked

"I don't know." Callen said and climbed into his car.

* * *

He was glad Sam had let him go; he needed to clear his head. Was Michael his son? If he was how would he explain this to Kensi?

He pulled over and got out his cell phone, "Kens," he said ringing her burn-phone with his.

"G, is everything ok?" she asked worried,

"Yeah…I…I just needed to hear your voice, where are you?"

"I'm at the prison, I'm about to meet with Corby and Montrell, Did everything go ok with you finding Jon Donnelly?" she said leaning back in her car as she saw Corby's car pull up.

"Yeah, yeah it did…kinda, Kens, we need to talk." He said, he couldn't keep this from her.

"OK, I'll talk to you later, I love you." She said

"I love you too," Callen said in his car, he cut the call and closed his eyes in shame and worry.

Kensi looked at the phone for a second and then got out, heading purposefully for the prison determined to beat Corby inside.

* * *

Kensi walked back into the office and smiled as she saw the flowers on her desk.

She looked surprised to see a card, Callen wouldn't, would he? Not here in the office.

Eric walked over and told her the origin of the flowers,

"I hate flowers." She said and dumped them in the bin next to the desk. But, they were nice flowers. Maybe…?

"I thought you hate flowers?" Callen snapped walking back into the bullpen and going straight on to ops.

Kensi frowned and picked the flowers out of the trash can and put them on the shelf behind her desk.

She grabbed her bag and headed over to the lawyers office where Corby was pleased to see her.

"This isn't a social call." Corby said as Kensi entered the office.

"How did you guess?" She asked still feeling bitter at Callen's comment.

"The flowers weren't nice enough to warrant a same day visit." Corby said with a smirk.

"I hate flowers," Kensi admitted, "but the gesture didn't go unnoticed."

"What branch of NCIS are you with, anyway?" Corby asked, "I made an inquiry and got hit with the kind of clearance requests you'd expect from Langley."

Kensi ignored him, "There's been another shooting. Jon Donnelly. And we think Montrell Perez may have had something to do with it." She told him,

"May I ask why?" Corby asked starting to sweat a little, but still keeping his cool.

"I can think of about five million reasons." Kensi snapped.

"A less tactful attorney might suggest your efforts are better spent trying to locate this alleged hit man rather than assigning blame to a prisoner already serving his time." Corby argued.

"Perez is a legitimate suspect and if you still want us to support his appeal, he needs to tell us everything he knows." Kensi warned him.

"Oh, he told me he'd talk to you anytime." Corby smirked, "So long as it's face-to-face."

"And they say chivalry is dead." Kensi quipped dryly.

"Just run it through my office first, okay?" Corby said.

"Of course." Kensi replied sweetly, something about Corby unsettled her. "Thank you for the flowers." She continued.

"You said you didn't like flowers?" Corby said confused.

"I kind of like that you sent them." She smiled, more for the fact that maybe it would annoy Callen that this lawyer was coming onto her.

* * *

They worked the case, and finally the end of the day was coming up, Kensi went to meet Corby as with Callen and Sam as back up, by this time it was obvious that Corby was the man behind the killings and probably the only one to know what had happen to the money.

Kensi found herself sitting in a railroad station with Corby, she was surprised to find the he had been waiting for her, she stilled as he showed her the gun under his newspaper, one false move on her part and Lena would be without a mother.

Trying to still the shaking in her body she focused on what Corby was saying.

"I started considering all the possibilities with Tedrow, and I landed on this one. There's this story, it's passed around the JAG guys. NCIS has an undercover operator who can turn himself into anyone at any time for any reason. Gets his man, then he's gone; like some urban legend; doesn't even have a real name. Just... "Callen." Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of urban legends. I know there was an undercover NCIS element involved in the case four years ago. I think... Jason Tedrow and Callen are the same guy. Which means you are wearing a wire...and he is listening to every word of this?"

Kensi went pale as she realized he was right, Callen was listening.

"So, either he shows his face right now or I pull the trigger and leave you bleeding out all over that seat." Corby said.

Callen stood, he couldn't help himself, and Sam shot him a look and moved in too.

Suddenly Boyd, Christine's boyfriend was there, trying to help.

Within moment, Boyd and Corby had a confrontation and Boyd was injured, and Corby was dying.

"That's him….isn't it…Callen…" Corby said as Sam looked at him, he didn't confirm it and watched as the light left Corby's eyes.

Callen shot Kensi a look, desperately making sure she was unhurt, she gave him a small nod and he relaxed.

* * *

They arrived home tired after their day and night out, He had arrived late at the Karaoke Bar but she'd listened as he sang a song, she'd held her own and with a few drinks inside them they had taken a cab home.

Lena was asleep as they arrived home; As Eva left Callen grabbed Kensi's arm "I need to talk to you." He said the drink loosening his tongue a bit more than he'd intended.

"About today?" she asked sitting on their couch and taking her shoes off.

Callen nodded. "Kristen Donnelly, I…slept with her."

"Today?" Kensi asked her heart dropping.

Callen shook his head, "God, No. Five years ago, when I was on assignment, I used her to get close to her brother." He admitted.

"Sam said about a boy, is…is he…?" she couldn't ask.

"She said no?" Callen said.

"But you don't know?" she pushed.

Callen shook his head, "But I can't find out, I have to believe her." He looked at Kensi, afraid to move.

She saw the sadness in him, the thought that he could have fathered a child out there and not been there for him was painful to him, and she got off the couch and walked over to him wrapping him up in her arms.

"I love you Kensi Callen, I will never cheat on you I promise," He breathed into her neck.

"I know," she replied, she kissed him and they headed to bed.

As he turned the light out he turned back to her, "Did you hear from Dom this evening?"

Kensi laughed, "Nope. Maybe he was kidnapped by alpha Centuri bobble-head aliens."

She lay back laughing as Callen climbed into bed wrapped his arms around his wife and forgot Kristen Donnelly ever existed.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam came in late, he was annoyed. Callen had blown him off when he offered to pick him up this morning saying he was going to visit Kensi to see how she was doing as Dom was still missing. He worried when things like this happened. Dom had been, no was the newest member on the team, they should have protected him better. He walked into the bullpen and dropped his bag. No one was there. He looked around worried as Hetty walked in.

"Morning Hetty." Sam said brightly, "Where is everybody?" he asked the smile still on his face but a knot forming in his gut.

"They are upstairs waiting to be briefed on a case."

Sam nodded, "Waiting for who?" he asked

"Waiting for you." Hetty replied.

"Oh okay." Sam said, thinking if Callen hadn't left him hanging this morning he'd have been on time. But no, when he had arrived at Callen's house this morning it was as empty as it always was, it still looked like no one lived there.

"But first, you owe me some paperwork…" Hetty said

Sam and Hetty talked as Sam slowly made his way up the stairs, no matter how much Hetty asked Sam wasn't ready to admit that they needed a replacement for Dominic yet, and they sure as heck didn't need a temp.

Callen grinned as Sam entered looked frazzled or at least as frazzled as the big guy could.

"She found you then?" Callen smirked.

Sam shot him a look, "Doesn't she always," He remarked as Eric briefed them on the case.

Kensi grinned as she recognized the reality show on the line as one of her and Callen's favorites.

Callen watched as Sam argued that this should have been a LAPD case. "They should be handling it." Sam snapped.

"They are." Eric replied "But the Director wants to know why they had authentic-looking military IDs and he wants to make sure the security of our bases have not been compromised." He said stepping back a bit from Sam as the two men left.

* * *

Callen walked up to the door and opened it, "Eric said it was registered to a 'La Grange Enterprises' he said looking at the desks and the sides in the office.

"Well they weren't making Meth."

They checked the building out looking for anything that the men could have been doing and Callen stopped as his phone rang.

"Hey Callen, it's Kensi…Eric and I have been sifting through the electronic records of the dead men," Callen listened as Kensi filled him in with an address.

"Alright, great have a HazMat team come out here and sweep this place." He heard Kensi's voice drop and knew she had moved away from Eric,

"Are you ok?" she asked quietly, she had moved onto the balcony away from everyone. "What did you guys find?"

He nodded to Sam and moved out to the hallway ostensibly to await the arrival of the HazMat team.

"I don't know." He told her leaning against the wall as his heart hurt at the thought of being exposed to something and never seeing his family again.

"Well if you and Sam have been exposed to something, the Medical officer will need to check you over, your health could be at risk." She said the worry in her voice evident.

"You know what?" Callen said a smirk starting to creep across his face, "So could yours if you keep eating the breakfast burritos."

He heard her start and choke. "How?" she started as he laughed.

"The cheese makes your voice phlegmy honey." He waited until he was sure she was alone again, "I'm fine Hun. Honestly I don't know what was here yet, but you should call Evie and make sure she can stay longer with Lena, before we find out what it is, I don't want her exposed to anything like this."

"You're right, I'll get on it, stay safe G,"

"I will," the, I love you hung in the air between them, both wanting to say it and neither daring to incase they were overheard.

"You too." Kensi said knowing just how he felt before she hung up on him.

Sam was still checking the cupboards as Callen walked back in, "Anything?" he asked,

Sam nodded, "13 birds and 2 squirrels." He said.

"What are the chances that they were cooking up a biochemical weapon?" Callen asked worried that Kensi could have been right.

Sam sighed, "I sure as hell hope not, because if they were we've been exposed to it."

Callen looked worriedly out of the window thinking of Kensi and Lena, who would look after them if anything happened to him. Sam didn't disturb him as he was thinking the same thoughts about Michelle and his daughter.

* * *

Callen looked concerned as they pulled into the street where Balmore was living, his own house; the one he shared with Kensi was just two blocks away.

"It's a nice neighborhood." Sam remarked as they got out of the car, "I hate to see small times cons running this operation."

Callen had to agree with him, "Yeah, small time cons aren't running this operation, whatever it is."

"The lawn could use a rake," Sam said as Callen grinned.

On hearing a scream from the back both men ran around the back to help the woman who had made it.

"Mrs Balmore?"

An old woman looked up of all the things they had expected this sweet old woman wasn't it.

After introducing themselves they decided to take her to the boatshed, they were sure she wasn't overtly a threat, but the fact that she had developed as she had admitted a sample of the LD50 virus, albeit unwittingly and she had been under the assumption that she was doing her patriotic duty. Although the fact that the woman had managed to create 50 grams of Botulism quite frankly scared the hell out of him he did smile each time the old woman called Sam, Steve.

* * *

After watching Nate talk to the poor woman, and Callen and Sam getting the once over from Hetty, they were getting ready to infiltrate the gang who were trying to sell the botulism on the black market.

They all looked at the big screen as Eric introduced them all to the Dutchman, the European terrorist who was selling the toxin.

Sam walked over to his desk, "I'll contact Interpol and see if they've picked up any chatter or tracked any movement overseas."

Callen gave Eric some work to do and as he turned around he nearly bumped into Hetty.

"Mr. Callen, a moment." She said, Callen blanched for a second, had she heard his and Kensi's conversation earlier? Did she know now that they were together, had he in his worry about the bio-weapon let something slip?

"If she puts her rubber gloves on, run!" Sam joked and Callen shot him a look.

"Hetty, I appreciate the concern but I draw the line at turning my head and coughing." He quipped hoping to throw her off balance.

He listened as she explained her concerns regarding Sam and his reluctance to complete his paperwork.

* * *

Before he even knew what was happening he was standing outside with Kensi watching as Sam went in to try and get his hands on the botulism toxin.

Kensi nudged him standing at their ready position waiting for the signal to go in, "He's gonna be ok." She said she could see the worry for his partner rolling off her husband's features in waves.

Callen smiled, as he ordered the teams into position. "Be careful," he said quietly to Kensi and rubbed his arm up the small of her back as he walked past.

Getting ready to breach Callen stopped and held his breath as they were listening to Sam try and get more information out of Troyger the man trying to sell the toxin.

He turned to the team behind him, "They're at the mall."

Kensi grabbed Callen as they walked away to send the teams out to the two main malls in Hollywood. "Evie and Lena are at the mall." She told him in a heated whisper.

Callen grabbed her hand and turned her to face him, "Which one?" He asked

"Hollywood town center," Kensi said.

Callen gave a curt nod and spoke into the comm… "Kensi and I will take Hollywood town center, send agents to Sunset."

Thank you, Kensi mouthed at him as they ran to the car.

All the drive there Kensi tried calling on the phone, but there was no answer, "Why are they at the Mall today?" Callen asked as they drove there.

"Lena needed knew shoes now she's walking and she's going to be starting a pre-school group soon, so I wanted to get some in, and she was going to the doctor there to give Lena a check up, I was worried about her teething."

Callen nodded remembering the conversation they'd had the other night.

* * *

They pulled up and walked into the Mall looking around.

Callen looked frantically, not seeing anyone who looked like they were going to kill thousands of people. He could hear Hetty talking to Ms Balmore.

"Callen, level six." Hetty said even he could hear the worry in her voice. "Tall Caucasian male, 30's bald, yellow backpack."

Callen looked around, "I can't see him!"

Eric's voice came over the earwig, "Guys, he's forcing himself to walk casually, but he's clearly trying to hide an adrenaline surge."

Callen looked around and then… "I got him; he's heading for the food court."

Kensi spotted him and grabbed a food tray off a teenager, "Hey!" the kid said.

The man grabbed the vial as Kensi warned for everyone to get down, people screamed and ran as the man threw the vials over the railing towards the floor.

Callen grabbed the vial and looked up at Kensi as he realized the vial had cracked and had pierced his skin. He stood up holding the vial in his hand and looked horrified as Evie and Lena came out of a shoe shop. "Dada!" Lena screamed in excitement he voice was lost as Callen was ruby tackled and landed in the water.

"Sam?" Callen thought looking up as he saw Kensi hand off the terrorist and run down the stairs towards him.

"Keep the vial in the water!" Sam snapped. "Keep it out of the air. We stay right here until HazMat scrubs us."

Callen jumped as he felt a prick in his arm "You know I hate needles!" he snapped, trying to look to see if Lena was ok.

"It's the antidote G, I just saved your life." Sam retorted.

"I didn't get a warning." Callen sighed; he relaxed as he saw Kensi reach Evie and Lena.

"Oh, now I gotta warn ya to save your life?" Sam asked.

"Dada!" the call came again and Callen moved.

"Just keep the vial in the water, what are you squirming at anyway?" Sam asked.

* * *

Callen sat up keeping his hand underwater as a small child toddled over, "Dada!" she held her arms out, Callen looked over for Kensi who had been waylaid by another agent as Evie taking her eyes off the toddler was watching Kensi talk to the officer.

"Hey baby girl!" Callen said with a sigh as Sam looked down at the small girl.

"Where's that kids parents," Sam snapped looking around. He went to move as Callen took his uninjured arm out of the water and picked her up.

"Dada in bath?" Lena asked.

Callen laughed and Sam stopped in his tracks, "Yeah honey Dada's in the bath,"

"Dada…look….fishy!" Lena said pointing to a dead fish, "Fishy go by byes?" she asked.

Callen kissed her and put her on the ledge, "Yeah fishy is sleeping."

Sam stood watching in shock, "Kenz!" Callen called.

Kensi turned and slapped her hands over her mouth in shock and nudged Evie.

"Mama!" Lena clapped as Kensi walked over.

Lena wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, "Love you mama."

Kensi smiled "I love you too baby girl, Daddy's busy right now you go and stay with Evie. Mommy and Daddy will be back soon ok?"

"Ok." Lena smiled and kissed her mother and climbed into her stroller.

"I'll see you later," Kensi said to Evie.

Sam sat on the edge of the pond as HazMat took Callen out and took the LD50 off him.

"Something you want to tell me?" Sam asked.

"Can you come over tonight?" Called asked,

"Your house or Kensi's?" Sam asked.

"Neither, our house I'll give you the address." Callen said.

Sam nodded, he did have questions, boy did he have questions! but it could wait until this case was put to bed.

Sam popped over to make sure that Esther Balmore had everything she needed before he got back into his car and headed to the address that Kensi had left on his desk.

* * *

The house was nice, the lawn nice and tidy, hedge trimmed and a whitewashed picket fence around the property.

Sam rang the doorbell, "Honey, Door!" Callen's voice could be heard from inside.

Kensi opened the door, sheepishly looking at Sam standing there with a confused look on his face.

"Hey Sam," she said and let him in.

Lena was just finishing up her dinner; mashed banana was in her hands and on the tray of her high chair.

"Mama, nana!" she announced happily.

Kensi kissed the top of her head, "Time for a bath baby." She said.

"She's cute," Sam said and he had to admit she was a perfect mix of Callen and Kensi. "What's her name?"

"Essalina." Kensi said, "We call her Lena."

"Dada bath!" Lena demanded.

Callen walked out pulling his sweatshirt over his head, "Not today peanut, Dada's gonna calm down uncle Sam." He grinned pulling two beers out of the fridge.

Kensi kissed him as he walked past "Play nice." She advised and picked Lena up and took her to the bathroom.

Sam took the beer and sat on the couch.

"You have furniture." He deadpanned as he sat down.

Callen sat in his armchair and looked at Sam, "You're pissed." He said.

"DAMN…" He shot a look to the bathroom, "Damn right I'm pissed," he said in a quieter voice "You're my partner, Kensi works with me and now I find out you have a kid together!" he stood up and walked the length of the room and stopped when he saw the photo of Callen and Kensi on their wedding day. "You're married!" he asked incredulously.

Callen nodded. "Yeah."

Sam sat back down on the couch, "Damn!...Hetty's gonna kill you." He said then took a swig of his beer and grinned.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Callen woke up first; he hadn't slept too well after his talk with Sam. Now he knew he wondered how long it would be before Hetty found out. He looked up as the bedroom door cracked open and Lena toddled in. He sat up and grinned in surprise. "Hey baby girl, how did you get out of bed?" he asked.

She walked over to him with her teddy and security blanket gripped tightly in her hand. He held up her arms and he lifted her into bed.

She snuggled against him, and yawned.

Callen looked over at the clock it was four am.

Dozing, he shifted position breathing in the scent of his little girl and feeling the arms of his wife behind him. He knew this wouldn't last so he closed his eyes trying to make this a permanent memory.

Kensi woke him a few hours later with a coffee as Eva got Lena dress for the day.

Callen walked into the kitchen to grab breakfast as Lena wondered in.

"Daddy look me pretty!" Lena said

He smile, he couldn't believe that soon she would be a one year old. He realized that if at any point they were found out and he was sacked from his job, just being a stay at home dad would be enough for him.

"You look gorgeous baby girl." He said lifting her up and giving her a kiss. He handed her to Eva and then he and Kensi left for work.

* * *

Walking into Ops He leaned against the table as Eric filled him in on the death of Corporal Daniel Zuna.

These were taken last night near an alley outside of a night club called Four-Twenty on Hollywood Boulevard." Eric told them scrolling through information on his Ipad.

Kensi smiled. "Four-Twenty has an incredible D.J." she said. She stopped as the room when silent. Callen smirked and Sam shot him a glare, "What?! A girls' gotta get her freak on now and then!" she exclaimed moving her arms in an exaggerated dance motion. It was all Callen could do to not laugh.

Eric coughed and continued, "Preliminary Autopsy results indicate that he died of massive blood loss."

"He was shot?"

"No. No signs of physical trauma." Eric said and paused for dramatic effect. "But here's the freaky part. He bled out through his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Lance Corporal Zuna was on a two-week leave; Spends a lot of his off time at an MMA gym called the Blood & Guts Warriors."

"MMA?" Kensi asked.

"Mixed Martial Arts." Sam informed her.

Callen looked at the body, as Hetty said, "The victim was off duty having come off rotation at a Bio-Lab facility, but we have been assured that there is no evidence of contagion."

"I'm wearing gloves." Sam smiled.

Kensi nodded and Callen glared at her, "Kensi, sniff around Zuna's gym and his mates see what you can find out, we can bring them in later if we have to, meanwhile Sam and I will be wearing gloves."

* * *

Callen and Sam drove to the scene of the crime, Half way there Sam turned to Callen, "She's pretty." He said.

"Sorry?" Callen asked confused.

"Your daughter, she's going to be a heart breaker when she grows up." He smiled.

"How do you handle that?" Callen asked Sam.

Sam smiled, "Mine is only 6," he laughed, "Although I do remind Michelle to tell her that both her parents carry a gun and she should let any potential boyfriends know that."

Callen laughed as well. "If Kensi and I don't keep them in line her Grandfather and Uncle Mike will."

Sam nearly hit the brakes.

"You and Kensi don't have family?"

"Gibbs from DC and his boss Mike Franks." Callen explained.

"Gibbs? The guy who came over with the tech guy?"

Callen smiled. "Yeah he's kinda like my dad; been in my life for a long time."

Sam smiled, "That's nice." He said and he meant it.

* * *

He parked up outside an alleyway and they walked down the side of the club under the crime scene tape and stopped in front of a large pool of blood.

"There's substantial pooling." Sam said looking at it.

Callen walked nearer. "More like a lake." He agreed.

"Don't go too close!" Sam warned.

Callen smirked, "You don't have to say bio-hazard twice."

He looked at the body, "It's close to the front door of the club, do you think he was waiting for someone?" he asked.

Sam shook his head, "He didn't have a stamp on his hand, and he probably never even went inside."

Kensi stood outside the Blood and Guts Gym and checked her reflection in the mirror.

She took a deep breath and walked inside climbing the stairs to the first floor gym.

She wrinkled her nose a bit at the smell of testosterone and sweat but stopped as she saw a group of men working out in the back corner. Changing her face to look wistful and a bit sad she walked into the room.

On of the men saw her and walked over, "You wanna train its 60 bucks a month, you bring your own gear and we don't have no women's locker room so you change in ya car right?"

Kensi appeared to look flustered "Er..yeah…no…I mean hi." She paused as he stopped and looked at her.

"I'm not here to train, I'm a friend…I mean I was a friend of Daniel's." she said.

"You heard what happened?" he asked.

She nodded, "I still can't believe it. I just thought I'd come and see this place, Danny was forever talking about it." She said glancing around and looking at the other fighters who had stopped to look at her…all but one in the red shorts in the corner.

The 'boss' man looked and smiled, "Well Danny was a hell of a fighter, I'm Victor Janklow."

"Tracy" she replied.

"You his girl?" the blond guy who had been fighting in the red shorts asked looking her over appreciatively.

She shrugged; "I guess, I mean we only just started dating, but…it was….intense." she smiled sadly.

The others introduced themselves and she stood there taking all the information in.

"This is Corporal Craig Mangold, retired. This is Corporal Dale Johnson, Corporal Nelson Shabazz,

and that's Jason Wyler." He said indicating the blond man who had spoken earlier.

"This is Tracy, Danny's girl." Victor said.

"Yeah?" Jason said still slightly out of breath, "How'd you find out?"

"The police called me, I guess my number was in his cell phone." She replied, there was something about Wyler, he kept her off balance and she didn't like it.

"There were lots of girl's numbers in his phone." Wyler pushed.

"Well I guess mine was just the last number dialed." She retorted.

"Come on Jason, we're all feeling bad,"

"Maybe I shouldn't have come," Kensi said turning away; she needed to see what she could find on this Wyler guy.

"No,no, hey hey hey," Janklow said trying to reassure her. "You come by here anytime ok?" he said.

"Thank you." Kensi smiled.

"I'm sorry about Jason, he's just wound kinda tight."

"It's ok." She said again turning to leave.

Janklow stopped her one last time, "Listen if you ever wanna talk or go our for a drink, you know for Danny"

She nodded and left.

* * *

After Callen and Sam questioned Daniel's platoon leader from Fallujah it wasn't long before Callen and Kensi found themselves on their way to Zuna's house.

"We determined that Zuna didn't have a drug problem, but we have to check the house out." Callen said. "Sam's headed in to get the bio's on the others up."

Kensi nodded still thinking about Wyler.

"Lena's going to be a marine like her granddad she's skipping kindergarten and going straight into the core." Callen said after a few minutes.

"That's nice." Kensi said. Then stopped herself, "WHAT?!"

Callen smirked, "I figured you weren't listening babe, what's eating you?"

Kensi shrugged, "One guy at the gym gave me a weird vibe."

Callen pulled over, "Something I need to worry about?" he asked.

Kensi shook her head, "No, I mean I don't think so, he's just so….Urgh!" she slammed her hand on the dash.

"Babe calm down we have a job to do," he pulled her over and kissed her smiling as he felt her relax in his arms.

"OK." She said, "I'll focus."

* * *

They pulled up outside Zuna's house and Kensi grinned as they got to the door.

"Door has a double barrelled cylinder, I've got this." She said. There were still some things she could do better than her husband and team leader.

He smirked at her, "You saw that coming up the walk." He grinned.

"Pain in the ass aren't they," she said as she smiled sweetly and bent down to pick the lock Callen taking the moment to admire his wife's ass as she bent down, at least he did till she stood up shooting him a look.

"For some," He grinned and stepped back allowing her to enter.

Callen looked around the room, definitely a bachelor pad, "Crappy furniture Nice TV." He remarked and headed in to check out the rest of the house.

"Laptop, left on not password protected." She said looking at it as Callen went into the kitchen. "Maybe he has nothing to hide?"

"Looks like a pharmacy in here." Callen shot back looking at the vast array of powders and tablets on the counter.

Kensi jumped as she heard a noise behind her.

"OH MY GOD! You scared me!" she said a bit too loudly in her 'Tracy' voice hoping Callen would hear.

He looked through the gap in the door and saw a blond haired man talking to Kensi. He looked around and decided, it would be better if she kept her cover intact so he climbed out of the kitchen window, shooting a look back at the house praying she'd be safe.

"How did you get in here?" Wyler asked looking at her suspiciously.

"Danny gave me a key," 'Tracy' said defensively "what are you doing here?"

Wyler showed her a key, "I live here, Danny rented me the spare room." He said he looked behind her at the laptop. "Danny's laptop?" he asked accusingly.

Kensi blushed, "I emailed him some photos, private photos." She left the idea hanging in the air.

"You and him watching the sunset at Santa Monica pier or the kind where you're not wearing anything but a smile." He grinned looking her up and down.

"A certain kind of person finds photo's like that and they are bound to end up on the internet."

Kensi looked uncomfortable.

"Wow so x rated then, no one under 17 admitted," Wyler said trying to look at the laptop behind her. "Well played. Danny said he'd met a girl, said she was hot."

"You think he meant me?" Kensi asked with a shy smile. "I kinda assumed he had others." Kensi said looking around the room.

"Oh, no no no…he uh…definitely meant you, talked about how you two partied pretty hard together." Wyler gulped.

"Yeah you know one thing leads to another and then you know…out come the camera." Kensi smiled.

"Right," Wyler said looking at her hard, like he was interrogating her, "But he said your name was Kate." He moved between her and the laptop increasingly more threatening, "So who the hell are you?"

Kensi shifted track, "I met him at a party, paid him for some stuff and he never delivered." She said hoping he'd buy it.

"I came to pick it up myself." She told him.

"Is that why you're here?" She asked suspiciously.

"No, 'cause I don't do drugs." Wyler snapped at her. "So maybe Danny's connection

never came through?"

"You know who his supplier is?" he asked.

"Well, I was hoping it was you." She admitted.

"Or maybe you found what you were looking for before I got here.?" He asked looking her up and down as if he were strip searching her.

"Maybe you found some cash?" He started to back her into a corner. "Maybe you should empty those pockets."

Kensi looked around and let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding as the door knocked.

"Did you call for a cab?" her heart leapt at the sound of Callen's voice.

"That would be me." She said brightly stepping around Wyler and making good her escape.

"Thanks for stopping by." Wyler said watching her go down the walk and get into the cab.

Kensi collapsed in the back seat

"Nice save with the cab." She grinned as he pulled up and handed the keys back to the real driver around the block.

"Dirty pictures?" He asked with a grin. "Nice touch."

"Yeah, except it didn't work. Had to switch up to a drug buy." She said sourly.

He looked back at the cab, "That was my snitch money for the entire month." He said ruefully.

"Hetty's gonna blow a gasket."

He watched her, "We could always tell her about us…take some heat off of it."

She rolled her eyes at him and climbed in the car, "I'm driving." She said as they headed back to the mission.

* * *

They sat in the bullpen looking over the paperwork, the faces of the men from the gym up on the plasma,

"Yeah, Eric." Sam said as Eric entered the bullpen.

"Whoever Kensi's been talking with...it's not Jason Wyler." He said pulling up the info he had on him. "I've checked every known database. There's only a driver's license. No social security number, school records, immunization, not even a library card. Your Jason Wyler doesn't exist."

Callen looked instantly concerned, "Anything new on Wyler?" he asked looking at the blond haired man on the plasma, his eyes flicking at his wife.

"Still tracking his alias." Eric told them.

"Maybe he killed Zuna?" Sam said " He shared his house. He must have known he was blood packing; He could have easily

introduced the heparin." He looked over to his teammates as they listened, "Lieutenant Davis said Zuna had a drug problem in Iraq. Maybe it was a drug deal gone wrong between him and Wyler?" He offered.

"We can't answer the why until we know who Wyler is." Callen offered as he leaned back looking at the plasma, an Idea formed in his head. "Nate, check for any recent drug-related activity at the gym or involving MMA fighters." He sat up and looked at a note scribbled on his desk. "These guys are all looking to get an edge.

"Meth-amphetamine, ephedrine, cocaine. All likely stimulants to appear in that environment." Nate said looking at the Toxicology report in his hand, "Not to mention performance-enhancing drugs."

"Check it, anyways." Callen snapped.

"How are we doing on the paparazzi footage?" he asked Kensi who was looking through them

"Ugh! Literally thousands of shots." She sighed, pulling one up after the other, "I'm still sifting through it. I'm still stuck on Wyler." She said looking up at the drivers' license on the plasma.

"Stuck. Smitten. Whatever." Callen quipped.

Kensi shot him a look, "He's hiding behind an alias, he's carrying a weapon. From the first moment I saw him, he seemed hinky."

Callen leaned in as he walked past her, "You said that about me too." He breathed as she glared at him. He turned to Sam and Nate who were looking at them, Sam in amusement, Nate in confusion.

"Warriors are down a fighter." Callen said, "You might want to try out."

"I'm gonna need to backstop you." Eric said heading upstairs, Sam followed him.

"Better hurry up, Eric. I got to get that open spot before somebody else does." Sam said following him,

"Sounds like you're headed for the gym." Callen said.

* * *

Kensi walked past Callen and headed for the gym. Waiting a few moments he followed.

As he entered he found himself slammed up against the wall.

"What the Hell was that?" Kensi snapped.

"What?" Callen asked bemused.

"Stuck, smitten whatever?" she said sarcastically.

"What? I was only kidding, Nate was there…and you were kinda making doe eyes at Wyler's picture." He added with a grin as she punched his arm.

"I'm going to back up Sam, You wanna check on Lena?" she asked kissing him quickly. "Don't ever do that again." She warned.

He nodded, "Yes dear." He smirked, within a second he found himself on a mat with her straddled over him pinning him down.

"Or that." She said leaning in and kissing him again.

They got up and headed to ops, as Hetty walked out of the shadows.

"Oh bugger." She said quietly.

* * *

Sam walked into the gym, "DeMarco Williams." He said introducing himself to Janklow.

Janklow sized him up, "Stand up fighters tend to get their asses handed to them around here." He said,

"I've got ground game too." Sam pushed.

"Really, Is that right?" Janklow sneered.

"Word is your looking for a new man," Sam said, "I'd like to show you what I've got."

Janklow nodded, "D'you ever fight outside of North Carolina?" he asked.

Sam shook his head, "Not yet, but I'm looking to give the west coast a little taste of home." He laughed.

"We've got a spot on tonight's card, let's see how you do." Janklow said.

"Whoa! Did I hear that right?" Wyler asked walking over.

"DeMarco Williams, Jason Wyler." Janklow introduced them Sam smiled and Wyler looked like he wanted to kill him.

"I thought I was getting Zuna's spot." Wyler said ignoring Sam.

Janklow shrugged, "You're still a little green Wyler?"

Wyler pulled himself off anger radiating off him, "So you're just giving it away to some guy off the street?" he asked incredulously.

He squared up to Sam who moved himself into a ready position.

"Hey…Hey wait!" Janklow moved between them. " Williams has a lot of fights under his belt." He argued.

"I did my training I deserve my shot!" Wyler argued back.

"Ok tell you what, fight winner gets in."

Wyler nodded as Sam looked on uneasy.

Wyler stormed back to training and Sam headed to Ops to get ready.

Callen stared at the screen, "Wyler's seen me, so I'm gonna be watching from the ops center. But Kensi will be in the crowd. This guy doesn't stand a chance

going toe-to-toe with you, so he's gonna want to grapple, get you on the ground." Callen counseled Sam.

Sam grinned, "Its okay. I'll sprawl and brawl, stay on my feet and outlast him."

"Outlast? This isn't Survivor." Callen said his voice full of concern. "Look, he tries an arm bar, slam his head. Don't wait."

"In the seals, we learned combat techniques from a variety of martial arts. I know my countermoves." Sam argued.

"Sam, take him out. Take him out fast. The longer this thing goes the better chance he has of getting lucky. Do you hear what I'm telling you?" Callen said.

"G, I'm gonna be okay." Sam said placating him and turning to go, "Trust me."

* * *

Callen watched him go, his gut churning and he was full of misgivings, he leant on the railing as Hetty walked up behind him.

"Trouble, Mr. Callen?" She asked.

"He's not ready." Callen said concerned for his friend.

"I beg to differ. But Sam's technique is splendid." She offered by way of appeasing him.

"I'm not talking about his technique, Hetty." Callen snapped, "He's reluctant." He added

"Because he has nothing to prove. There's no joy in a blood sport for a man like Sam who's been tested so many times in battle." She said wisely.

"Wyler's not going to hold back." Callen argued.

"But you think Sam will?" Hetty asked.

Callen nodded, "Sam doesn't want to hurt him and I think that makes him vulnerable."

"Sam knows what he has to do." Hetty replied

"I just hope he does it." Callen sighed watching as Sam walked out of the building with his Gym bag.

"The body versus the mind. There's a fight, indeed." She said taking her leave of him and shaking her head.

* * *

Sam and Jason squared up for the fight while Kensi searched the crowd for the rest of Janklow's men.

Janklow was in the back talking to one of his men as Kensi watched keeping one eye on the fight as Sam squared up both opponents equally matched.

Kensi ran over as she saw Janklow get hit by one of his men.

Sam hit Wyler twice and he went down.

"Stay down, stay down." Sam ordered.

Wyler tried to get up again, but in the end Sam won by a knockout.

"That's it he's done." Callen said in relief, Kensi smiled as she heard him in her ear. "He's in."

"That's just the end of round one." Hetty said.

"Fight's over Hetty." Callen told her.

"WINNER BY KNOCKOUT, DeMARCO WILLIAMS!" The announcer said.

Kensi was waiting in the car for Sam as she watched everyone leave.

"Kensi where's Sam?" Callen's voice came over the comm.

She saw the door open and smiled, "He's coming out now and Janklow's with him," She prepared to turn the key to start the car and pick him up but a movement caught her eye.

Janklow looked at Sam, "Look, make sure you alternate heat and ice on those bruises tonight. We'll see you first thing in the morning for training.

Welcome to the warriors." He said they shook hands and Janklow walked off.

Wyler moved away from the wall his whole demeanor screamed angry and Sam stopped, "I worked hard for that spot." He snarled.

Sam shrugged, "I guess not hard enough."

"Wyler's out there." Kensi said into her comm.

"So how much, How much for you to just walk away?" Wyler asked.

"No one buys me." Sam snapped.

"Really, coz if ya stick around here you're going to be looking over your shoulder every day." He threatened.

"That supposed to scare me; I already kicked your ass." Sam said.

Wyler turned around ready to take him on.

Kensi went to get out of the car when more movement stopped her, "Uh oh, LAPD." She told the team at Ops.

"LAPD?" Callen's voice came over the comm. "How did they get there so fast?" He asked. "Who called them?"

"I don't know but they're taking them in," Kensi said

Hetty turned to Eric, "Get me the chief of police."

* * *

Hours later, after both Sam and Wyler who turned out to be Detective Marty Deeks had cooled down they were meeting in the boatshed discussing a plan to uncover the Warriors activities.

Deeks kept shooting a look at Kensi and Callen got madder by the minute.

Sam ended up interrupting Deeks again as Callen took his wife outside.

"Are you sure you wanna work with him?" he asked.

Kensi smiled, "Sure I can, Callen, it won't be a problem."

"Maybe it'd be easier if you went home."

Kensi shot him a look, "You wanna keep me barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?" she asked.

Callen stopped, "You're not?" he asked.

Kensi shrugged. "No I'm not, but I meant….Geez Callen!" she threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "You've gotta calm down."

Callen turned and stood between her and freedom, as she leant against the wall, "He's more your age and blond and he likes you,"

"I like him," she admitted, but then pulled him in for a steamy kiss, "But I love you, you are my husband, remember that."

Callen held her tight, he realized no matter how this thing with Detective Deeks played out, They were still together and she loved him.

"He likes you." He said again.

"Then he's going to be disappointed, because I am married to the Hottest sexiest federal agent I know and No LAPD Detective is going to measure up to that." She kissed him again.

"This thing with Jenklow can wait, Take me home." She breathed in his ear.

Callen smiled and walked with his wife to the car, texting Sam as they left.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Callen woke early, Lena was snuggled between them and she hugged her teddy as he moved gently dropping a kiss on her head.

Kensi woke up and looked bleary eyed at him, "You ok Hun?" she asked.

Callen nodded, "Yeah, just restless I'm going for a walk along the beach front, do you want anything?" he asked.

"Doughnuts?" she asked hopefully. He grinned at her, "Sure I'll pick up a paper and then head there before work, and I'll meet you there."

"Lena has a play date today so I'm heading back early today, Eva, Lena and Sally from her toddler group are going to the park" Lena looked up blinking, "Play 'ally?" she asked sleepily. "Dada come?"

Callen smiled, "Daddy's gotta work baby, but mommy will meet you at the park, you go with Eva ok?"

"Ok dada, 'ove you." She yawned and grabbed the duvet and lay back down.

Kensi sat up and kissed him, "I love you too baby, I'll see you at work."

Callen nodded and left.

* * *

It was a sunny morning on Venice beach he walked into the room he kept at a no star motel for appearances and drank a coffee moved some stuff around to make it look like he had been there and then walked downstairs. He had waited for the shift change in the lobby so the clerk on the desk saw him leave. Nodding to him he walked outside; he took a deep breath and sighed. He walked to the newsstand and said good morning to the seller there. Made a quick joke about him selling insurance to keep his cover intact and started walking.

He stopped for a fraction of a second then kept on walking, he was being followed. A fear for a second tightened in his chest, what if they had followed him from his home, were Kensi and Lena safe?

He walked on a bit longer, stopping a woman to ask for directions to Kensi's favorite bakery he turned as she pointed behind him getting a good look at the man who was following him. He thanked her and walked on, as he rounded the corner he ran, across the road and down an alleyway ducking out of sight he watched as the dark haired man followed him.

He stepped out and looked at the man. "Hey." He said.

The man blanched and ran; Callen followed until the man ran out in front of a car and got hit.

The driver got out and looked down at the man on the floor.

"God…He-He, He just ran in the street. I… Did anyone else see that?" the driver asked shocked.

Callen lent over the man.

"Cal…Callen?" the man breathed and died.

Callen stepped back in shock, He'd been made…but when?

He ran towards the ocean, taking his phone out he sent two texts, the first to Kensi, ' _ **I love you and I love Lena, never forget that.'**_

The second text he sent was to Hetty,

* * *

Sam and Kensi were sat in the bullpen, Kensi musing about her 'date' with Callen last night.

"So, last night, I'm having a drink at the place Macy took me after my first shootout." Kensi said." I Just wanted some alone time. But this guy walks over." She smiled as she remembered Callen's attempt at picking her up,"Attractive,well-dressed, bonus points for taking the lead, You know the drill."

"All too well." Sam sighed, having had Callen talking to him on the phone at the time.

"Guess what he used as his opener." She said smiling,

Sam sighed he had put the phone down at that point, he and Michelle had been married for years and they were half as bad as this, "Hi. My name is Mr. I Have No Idea What I'm In For? Can I buy you a drink?"

"See? Now, there wouldn't have been anything wrong with that." Kensi said honestly.

"But that's not what he said." Sam surmised.

"Hey there, Noticed your boots, Takes a girl with a unique style to pull that off."

"Unique style, as in weird; as in ugly?" Sam asked.

"The boots were completely normal!" Kensi exclaimed, she knew Callen had liked them, it was the reason she had brought them in the first place.

"The boots don't matter." Sam said, "He was running game on you." He told her.

"What?" She asked.

"Game; The art of seduction." Sam explained, "He offered to buy you a drink, he'd be looking to get your approval, but he turned the tables on you."

"Yeah, putting me on the defensive." Kensi complained.

"And trying to earn his approval on a subconscious level. It's game." Sam said with a grin.

"That stuff doesn't work on me." She insisted.

"At least you didn't give him your number." Sam grinned, not that Callen had needed it, "Right?"

"Oh, boy."

"Have you seen Callen today?" Kensi asked noticing his bag wasn't there

"This guy buy you a drink?" Sam asked

"Told me he'd let me buy him a drink." Kensi grinned.

"Game." Sam said triumphant.

"Kept checking his phone like he had better places to be."

"Game."

"Leaned in for a kiss 15 minutes after meeting me." She grinned; it had turned into a bit more than a kiss.

"Definitely game." Sam said, "At least you didn't let him."

Kensi smiled and fished around in her bags.

Hetty let out a loud whistle and walked into the bullpen.

"Mr. Callen is in trouble," she said shooting a look at Kensi.

Kensi clenched her hand but kept silent.

"He enacted the Beauregard protocol via text message; his current cover has been blown." Hetty said.

"How did this happen?" Sam asked taking Hetty's attention

"That's not clear for the moment. The only thing we know for certain is that our operations have been breached. As of this moment, we are not to make contact with him- that means you, Mr. Hanna." She said staring at him.

Eric showed them the footage from that morning the man running out in front of the car and then Callen looking down at him, stepping back in surprise and running away from the scene.

* * *

Callen stopped into a shop to change, pulling on his new disguise he broke up his credit cards and threw them in the bin, handed a watch to a homeless man and emptied his wallet; he stopped as he pulled out a picture of Kensi and Lena. He stopped in a shop brought a stamp and envelope and wrote his address on it, he kissed the picture slipped it into the envelope and mailed the picture to himself. He wasn't going to lose that if he could help it.

He walked to a shop and brought a burn phone, walking outside he was stopped by the shop assistant.

"Hey, Buddy…weirdest thing happened, I just got a call from a guy says he wants to speak to my last customer, that's you." She said showing him the way back to the store.

Callen shrugged and followed, maybe Eric found him already. He knew the younger man was good, but this would be a record even for him.

"Yeah." He said picking up the phone.

"Mr. Callen, Or do you prefer Special Agent?" A man with a British accent said.

"Sorry, bud. Wrong guy." Callen said his heart racing.

"The pay phone on Ocean Walk and Sunset. You got three minutes and Mr. Callen; I know what the "G" stands for." The man said and ended the call.

Callen nodded to the woman, walked out of the door and then ran.

Sam walked down a corridor and saw Kensi on the phone in the file burn room. "Thanks Eva, I owe you one, I'll let you know when it's safe, tell her mommy and daddy love her." She said she wiped an eye as she closed the phone.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked.

Kensi nodded, "Lena is staying with Eva until it's safe for her to come home again." She said he throat rasping with emotion at the worry that she or Callen would never see Lena grow up.

Sam held out his arms and Kensi leaned into his hug, "I miss him, what if…what if he doesn't come home?" she let out a small sob.

"We'll make sure he does come home to you both. How do I explain this to Lena?"

"You won't have to." Sam promised.

And he was right, at the end of the day Callen stood over Keelson's body, looking down at the man who knew all his secrets including his name, but he also knew the one secret Callen was willing to kill for, he had known about his wife and daughter. He was going to let him go, let him run until Keelson had in the last moment threatened her.

He checked Keelson's pockets and pulled out a white key card, that he would deal with tomorrow, first he had something more important to do.

* * *

He walked into his house, it was strangely quiet. "Kenz?" He said pulling his gun.

The house was dark, candles were lit but none of the lights worked. He looked in Lena's room and it was empty.

He opened the door to his bedroom and stopped.

"Kenz?" he breathed looking as she lay on the bed rose petals strewn all around.

"I thought I had lost you today." She said softly.

He looked at her as he shucked off his shoes, "I thought so too once or twice." He admitted, he looked in the direction of Lena's room, "Lena?" he asked.

"With Eva for the night, I didn't know how safe things were." She admitted.

Callen smiled at his wife, "In here….not too safe" he grinned,

Keelson could wait till tomorrow. Tonight, he would show his wife how much he loved her.

"Come here." He growled as he turned and shut the door.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Callen never slept much that night, Kensi woke up a few times to see him looking out of the window, Lena was still away as although the threat against NCIS had been neutralized there was still the matter of where Keelson got his information. Brooding he hit the shower and was dressed as Kensi walked into the kitchen, he handed her a mug of coffee.

"Are you alright?" She asked worried for her husband.

Callen turned and pulled her close holding her tight, "I was so close Kenz…He knew…he knew my name…everything and I killed him, now I'll never know he can never tell me."

She held him just as fiercely, "You'll still find out G, I know one day all your questions will be answered."

He smiled as he breathed in her scent getting his mental balance back. "We need to go, the quicker we sort this the quicker Lena can come home." He said.

Walking up to the warehouse Eric had pinpointed they used the keycard that Callen had taken from Keelson and entered.

"Is this place what I think it is?" Callen asked.

"Everybody's dirty little secrets including Taylor, A... whoever he is. Document boxes; Alphabetical by surname and initial." Kensi said looking over at her husband.

"Must be hundreds of them; Huh...Lots of big names. I'm gonna need the code number or an angle grinder." Sam called from behind a shelf.

"Damn." Kensi swore looking at the password icon on the computer screen.

"What? You think someone who makes a fortune buying and selling information's gonna make it that easy?" Callen smirked at his wife who shot him a dirty look.

"We're gonna need Eric." She admitted.

"G." Sam called from behind the stacks and Callen came around to look at what he had found.

There was a file behind a sealed case with Callen, G. on it. Callen reached his fingers through the grill

"See if they've got one on you... or Hetty." Callen suggested not taking his eyes off the file.

Sam looked and then came back. "Nothing on me, two boxes on Hetty." He said.

"Guys...You're gonna want to see this. "File burn." Kensi called from behind them worried.

"It must be automatically erasing the hard drives." Callen said looking to see if he could stop it.

"It's not gonna affect the hard copy files. Unless... We gotta get out of here now!" Sam yelled. "Move!"

"Oh,  _ **that**_  kinda burn." Kensi said rapidly grabbing the boxes and paper off of the desk, grabbing anything she could salvage. "Okay, okay, uh, I got it."

"G, come on!" Sam called as he ran. Callen stood staring at the box, which held all the answers to every question he'd ever had.

He kicked, punched and pulled at the grill with desperation trying to get it to break so he could get to the box. "G, come on!" Sam practically screamed at him.

Finally Callen ran as the building blew up behind him.

"After you powered up, what did you press?" Callen asked his wife his voice dark as the emotions of what he had just lost powered through him.

"Nothing. I didn't even touch the keyboard." She went to touch his arm and he glared at her. Kensi looked at Sam a look of pain and hurt flashing through her face.

"Maybe we triggered motion detectors?" Kensi said

"I didn't see them, and I was looking." Sam said.

"Okay, a... a timer. If Keelson's not back by a certain time... boom." Kensi offered

"And if he's stuck in traffic?" Callen sniped.

"Cell phone. Dials up, punches in the code, deactivates...I didn't do anything!" Kensi said as Callen pushed past her and walked off.

Sam walked over to Callen who was staring at the smokey shell of the building.

"If you could turn it off with a cell phone, you could turn it on." Sam said behind him, "Maybe Keelson isn't the lone wolf we thought he was."

* * *

Callen sat at his desk staring at the file Taylor A, Kensi walked over to him standing just shy of putting a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Eric's gonna see what he can dig up on Keelson's warehouse. Phone records, utilities, all the usual to try to turn up

another name." she said looking at him concerned; Sam walked in and she shot him a look, this was killing her but she wasn't going to back down.

"We good?" she asked.

"Yeah…Yeah, sorry." He knew he shouldn't have snapped at her and he knew it wasn't her fault, he tried to smile and she looked at him full of love, and he knew he needed to make it right with her.

"This is the file he was working on." Callen said pulling the file open and picking up a book inside.

"Surveillance." Sam said looking at the photos of a man and woman,

"They're arguing." Callen said looking at Sam.

"Probably married." Sam added smirking at Callen.

Kensi chose to ignore it, "Taylor…Wonder what his dirty little secret is?" She said.

Callen opened the small brown notebook,

"Great." Kensi sighed, "450 A. Taylors in Los Angeles alone." She said looking at her laptop.

"Gonna need a first name to..." Callen trailed off as he read the words in the book, "This is where he got the addresses." He said as if talking to himself, forgetting that anyone else was there flipping the pages faster and faster.

"What addresses?" Kensi asked worried they their address was in there and Lena's safety had been compromised.

"Every foster home I ever lived in. Keelson gave me a printout, but...this is... this is where he got 'em. They're...They're all handwritten." Callen said shock flowing through his body as he recognized each and every address.

"What's it doing in this file box?" Sam asked,

"Well, uh, he left in a hurry. He could have put them in there by mistake?" Kensi suggested hoping.

"Keelson didn't make mistakes." Callen said still distracted by the book, "There's five more addresses here in the back. I don't know any of 'em." He said

"Maybe this is our connection with Taylor?" Sam figured, hoping this was a lead, "Any of those five new addresses located in a 6000 block?"

"No." Callen said looking at the list.

"We find a Bart's Mart located on a 6000 block, at least we got a place to start looking." Sam said sending Callen a small smile of encouragement.

Up in Ops Eric pulled information up onto the screen.

"Bart's Mart, 67 stores in greater Los Angeles, but only one on a 6000 block. 6464 Woodman Avenue, Van Nuys." Eric said with a flourish.

"That's the apartment block from the photo." Callen said as he recognized it.

"List of tenants, Eric. Looking for Taylor, initial "A." Sam said and Eric looked up the information, one name appreared on the screen.

_**Stephen John Taylor.** _

"Close." Kensi said

"Data search on Steven John Taylor, same address." Sam ordered.

"Steven John Taylor aged 45. No criminal record. Divorced. Ex-wife's name's Amy." Eric said as the information came up.

"A. Taylor. He's a she." Kensi said looking at Callen.

"Age 42. No children. No current address listed. Still using her married name. That's unusual." Eric commented.

"What's her maiden name?" Sam asked.

"I have to go right back to the marriage certificate. And her maiden name is... Callen." Eric said as everyone in the room looked at Callen who stared at the name on the big screen in shock.

* * *

Callen took point out of ops and the trio headed down the stairs,

"Mr. Hanna, Ms. Blye, Taylor's apartment. Mr. Callen, my office." Hetty ordered and turned to go.

"Hetty...!" Callen exclaimed, he looked back at the others, "Go." He said in a resigned voice, Kensi reached out and stroked his arm reassuringly, and Sam gave him a pat on the shoulder looking concerned they left.

Callen walked into Hetty's office like a child being called to the principal's office.

Hetty sat at her desk writing in pencil on a report as he stood glaring down at her, "I much prefer a good HB to a Bic. Press firmly enough, and people don't have to read between the lines to get the message." Callen was mad, she knew it and he knew it.

"The answer is no, Mr. Callen."

"Hetty, you don't even know what the question is!" He exclaimed he knew he could have been asking her about anything.

"It's no to all of them. Is there any mention of this in your classified file? No. Was I aware you had a relative? No. Am I surprised? No. Should you stay on this case? Definitely no. Is there any possibility that this is a coincidence?" She asked looking up at him as his anger started to dissipate.

"Keelson didn't think so." He admitted, "He had my details in her file."

"But he could be wrong." Hetty prodded.

"Could be…" Callen grudgingly agreed.

Hetty sighed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Callen. You know the rules. It would seem that while Keelson is dead, there is still the possibility that your true identity may have been compromised, along with the integrity of this unit."

Callen thought the sick feeling in his stomach down if he was compromised, he might never be able to see or hold his daughter again. "This is the second time you've taken me off the Keelson case." He said hoping she'd change her mind.

"Let's make it the last." She said hoping that he would come clean about the other reasons he had for wanting to pursue this. Namely his relationship with Ms. Blye.

"Should I read something between the lines?" he asked almost challenging her. He wasn't going to tell her now; he shook his head to clear his thoughts and stormed off.

Hetty picked up her pencil her thoughts also in turmoil, she needed him to come clean with her before there was a problem, but he was mad with her that much she knew and there was no way he'd open up to her know, she pressed down with her pencil and the lead snapped. "Oh... bugger." She said watching him walk off and wondering when it was he had stopped trusting her.

Callen snuck up to Eric and got the information he needed and headed out to investigate anyway.

After discovering that his only lead, Browning was dead and that the Taylors apartment had been trashed, Callen decided to head back to the mission, he snuck in noticing that Hetty was deeply engrossed in a phone call and sat at his desk looking for all the world as if he hadn't even left.

* * *

He stared at the photo of Amy, looking for any resemblance to him, or even Lena…maybe she had inherited something that Amy had and he hadn't been given.

Hetty walked up to him looking through the lattice work.

"I'd send you home, but I know that would just move you from that chair onto that sofa." She said hoping he'd open up to her a bit and at least tell her about the house that he and Kensi owned, she had decided she wouldn't push him, but eventually he would have to tell her.

"I'm still looking for a place." He lied and she sighed with a short nod.

"I just got a rather officious phone call from a mid-level...timecard puncher at the CIA." She stopped and stared at him, "He wanted to know why we had requested access to a classified file of an ongoing operation." Again she paused and he looked up at her with a totally innocent face, which in her book meant he knew something. "Have you ever heard of a Karim Akbari?"

Callen thanked God for Gibbs rule 7, "I don't know anything about him." He lied honestly.

"That's not what I asked," Hetty said she knew about rule 7 and knew what Callen was trying to do, "Mr. Callen." She pushed.

Sam walked into the bullpen with Kensi behind him, "That was me, Hetty. Akbari was given to us by a CIA operative. I got Eric to run it; we got red-flagged."

"Sounds like the CIA is stonewalling us." Callen said smugly.

"I know a lot about stonewalling." Hetty said staring at Callen again hoping he'd just say something. Callen leant back his body language screamed openness which is when Hetty realized more than anything Callen was scared; he was scared that whatever this truth was that they were searching for that it would bring his hold charade concerning himself and Kensi down like a house of cards. "After I finished with the, uh, time card puncher, I called the director of the CIA, who offered to brief us on Karim Akbari. The agent's name is Trent Kort." She said staring at Callen who was now totally ignoring her and writing on a piece of paper on his desk. Her frustration that he wasn't sharing was etched on her face, "Sam and Kensi-boathouse in a half hour." She snapped as the frustration got too much and she stormed out.

Sam watched her leave and turned to Callen, "She knows. You can't go." He said. Callen stood up abruptly and walked out. "Where you going?" He asked concerned.

"To shoot someone." Callen answered back.

* * *

"Well, I think you killed him…And his entire extended family." Nate said watching Callen as he pulled the target down and looked at it in the shooting range, Callen cleared his chamber and made his gun safe and turned to Nate.

"You wanted to see me?" Callen asked as he looked at his friend.

"No. You said you wanted to see me." Nate looked worried.

"You're our operational psychologist, Nate. I've got some personal stuff going on in my life, so you have to see me. That's your job." Callen said looking Nate right in the eye.

"I'm missing something, aren't I?" Nate said

"What to tell Hetty when she asks." Callen admitted.

"Okay, what's Hetty going to ask me?"

"Why you came to see me."

"And the real reason is...?" Nate asked hoping it wasn't anything about Kensi or Lena, Nate had known about her right from the start, Callen had confided in him one day by accident during a session, Nate always hoped that Callen would tell Hetty and Sam although it did seem by the way Sam was acting that he might now about Callen's family. Hetty knew about Callen's marriage not being annulled, at least that was what Nate thought, but he was bound by the tenet of his job not to divulge anything either Callen or Kensi said to him.

Callen handed him a small brown leather note book.

"Shouldn't this be in the evidence locker?" He looked around panicked this was not what he had been expecting. "Aren't we breaking, like, the... chain of evidence or...?" Nate turned and looked at Callen as he figured it out. "You're off the case, but you need to know the...Could I go to jail?" he asked worried.

"Have you done something wrong?" Callen asked.

Nate looked at him as if he could see into his soul, "I think I'm about to." He admitted, he looked at the book again, Then at Callen who stared at him, "I could do some handwriting analysis." He said as Callen started to give a small smile.

"You recognize any of these addresses?" Nate asked.

"It's every orphanage and foster home I ever stayed at." He admitted.

"And these five addresses at the back?" Nate asked.

"No."

Callen watched as Nate ran his search pulling up the address to the old Allingham street orphanage, and the other addresses which had all been County run institutions until the last one which had been a home. Callen thanked him and left. Nate watched him go, hoping that his friend found the answers he was looking for.

* * *

Callen stood outside the house in Torrence, a big ball of nerves where tightly wound in his gut as he knocked on the door, suddenly flashing back to his childhood and having to wait and see what the woman who had possible been his sister's foster mother was like, he hoped more than anything that she had been a kind woman.

He jumped slightly as the door opened.

"Hi. Can I help you?" The thin older woman who answered the door asked him.

Callen suddenly felt as nervous as when he met prospective foster parents in his youth, "Hi." He swallowed nervously. "I-I'm sorry to disturb you. I was just hoping you might be able to help me find someone who possibly stayed here a long time ago." He handed her the picture, "Her name's Amy." He said hoping this wasn't a dead end.

"Oh, of course." She said and he looked up hopefully, "I remember Amy. Such a beautiful woman now. And you are?"

For a second Callen wondered if he should tell her he thought he was Amy's brother, but he didn't know her and he sure didn't trust her no matter how nice she seemed so he lied. "I-I work for a law firm. We believe she may have inherited some property, and I just need to confirm her identity."

The woman looked at him, "Mm. Well, then you'd better come in." she said stepping back and allowing him access.

"Thanks." He said, he walked into the room and checked it out, it was obvious the woman didn't foster anymore, but still kept in touch with those who had left, the house was tidy, warm and welcoming he glanced in the spare bedroom, it was clean and the bed kept ready but nothing to show a current child staying there. He walked into the living room and stopped.

The wall was covered in pictures of smiling children. All of them had been happy while they were there, there were no forced smiles or sad faces amongst them, he leaned forward looking at each picture trying to see if Amy's stood out from amongst them.

The woman looked at him, "Such a long time ago. 25 years, at least. She's here somewhere." She looked at the photo's searching for the one she wanted, "My "children." Some of them not for long, a few days. Others a few weeks, months. Amy was one who stayed a long time." She stood back and watched the man in front of her, something in him struck a chord with her, the lost child look, that a kid who had been in the system for a long time never seemed to lose when they were looking back. "Hard to believe, huh? So many. Most of them from broken families. Some orphaned." She watched as he flinched, it was barely perceptible but it was there, so that was it…

"Is, um...is your photo up here?" She asked wondering if by some chance he was one of hers and she had forgotten.

"Not here." Callen said distractedly, kinda wishing he had been here. "But someplace." He admitted.

"Many places?" she asked.

"Thirty-seven." Callen replied.

"Oh, here she is." She said pulling the picture of Amy off of the wall. "This is Amy. She must have been about 15 at the time. She stayed almost two years. She...She was a troubled girl something in her past; I think that she kept to herself. She still sends me a birthday card every year. Not all of them do anymore." She walked over to her desk and started looking through a drawer. "I used to worry when I would just suddenly stop hearing from someone. And then one day I realized...they probably just found their way. At least that's what I hope." She picked up an envelope and handed it to him, "That's the latest one," she said, she watched as Callen took it and stared at the address he was so close.

"Powerful emotion- hope." She said.

Without taking his eyes off the envelope he answered her, "Yes, it is."

"Hmm..." the woman looked at him.

"Amy ever talk about her family?" Callen asked.

"It was a long time ago to remember something like that." The woman said looking at Callen with understanding in her eyes,

"That's okay." He said and turned to go. "Thanks for everything." He said, not just for helping him, but for her being there for the woman who might have kept his sister safe.

"Yeah…You know, Amy... Um, Amy was an orphan. But I do remember. She said she had a brother." She said half wanting to give him the information if he was legitimate and half following her own instinct and calling him out.

Callen looked like a deer in the headlights, but the woman smiled at him, "Do you have children?" she asked.

Callen nodded and the woman smiled, "A girl I'll bet, I noticed the way you looked at the little girls on the wall, she's young?" she asked.

"Just turned one." He admitted.

The woman smiled as they walked to the door, "Find Amy, your daughter could use an aunt and maybe you'll all come back to see me when you're all together?" she asked.

Callen nodded and shook the woman's hand, she pulled him into a hug, "Thank you." He breathed he smiled as she closed the door and he left.

* * *

Driving up to the location the woman had left him he parked up, the driveway was empty and he sat and waited, he picked up his phone and called Evie, after being told that Lena was ok and was happily playing in the playpen in Eva's house. He listened to her talk as the phone was held to her and he grinned as she called him Dada. He looked up as a car came down the street and pulled into the drive, "Eva I'll call back later," he said, he blew a kiss down the phone at his daughter and hung up."

He carefully walked down the drive keeping out of sight and entered the house from the rear.

"Get off me!" A man yelled as Callen slowly opened the back door.

"Federal agent." He called, "No one move!"

The men shot at him and ran out to a blue van driving away at speed; Callen got in his car and followed him. He sped up and followed the van up the highway, it turned and he hit the Bluetooth on his phone. "Eric, south on Lincoln, blue van. I am in pursuit. Need LAPD backup." He needed the help and he would suffer the consequences later.

"I'm on it." Eric replied sending out an alert and tapping into the camera's as he watched Callen's pursuit down Lincoln, the van sideswiped Callen's car and Eric watched in horror as Callen lost control and his car hit a parked car and flipped over in midair, he watched in horror as the car rolled three or four times the axle on the front of the car breaking and the wheels hanging uselessly from the sides, Eric paled as he wondered of the state of his friend inside.

"Crap!" Eric cursed as he picked up the phone, "Hetty, you need to come up to Ops... now."

People were milling around outside as Callen stirred, he did a quick mental inventory of his injuries and turned his head as he heard a noise, one of the Iranians was walking towards the car, he drew a gun, but Callen was faster he shot the man and climbed out of the car heading to the van. He looked in the window and saw a man tied up in the back.

"Did you see it?" A woman asked

"Someone get an ambulance!" Callen called.

"Okay, no problem." The woman replied and started calling for help.

Callen checked Stephen Taylor's pulse and took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the last number.

"Steve, where are you?" A frightened voice came from the other side of the phone.

"Is this Amy Taylor?" Callen asked.

"Who is this?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"I'm a federal agent." Callen said not wanting to give anything away. "Amy, you need to listen to me. Your ex-husband has been injured. If he knows where you are, he told someone, and they are coming for you."

Callen commandeered a car and headed in the direction that the others had headed off in.

"Eric, check this number." Callen said using Stephen Taylor's phone, "I need the location of the cell phone last dialed."

"Okay, call was to a cell phone in South Central near the river. Callen, I can only narrow it down to a four-block radius bordering Allingham Street." He said.

Hetty walked over to the phone.

"Mr. Callen?"

Callen hung up.

* * *

He pulled up outside the derelict building; he found a hole in the fence and climbed through.

Walking into the empty building he could almost hear the voices of children who had lived and moved on within these walls. Remembering pieces of his own past in places just like this.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number again…this time the woman never picked up the call but he heard the ring tone and followed it.

He saw a woman sitting on the wire frame of a child sized bed. "Amy?" He asked.

"Who-Who are you?" she said looking fearfully at him.

"I called…I'm the federal agent. My name is Callen." He looked at her his face searching hers for answers.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm your sister." She said looking at him.

"I don't have a sister." He snarled, "Now, who the hell are you?"

The woman looked at him and sighed, "My name is, uh, Hannah Lawson and until the age of about 11, I... I lived in Iran with, uh, my... father. His name was Michael Lawson. My mom-she died when I was three, so my father was...He was just everything to me. Oh, a while after we got back here, um, my father showed me this-this hiding place in the house that we were staying at." Hannah explained, "Inside it was this-this leather satchel. I don't know why he showed it to me, but he said it was our... secret. And a couple of days later, some men, they forced their way into the house. They were, uh, Iranian. And they turned the television on really loudly,"

Callen nodded knowing where this was going.

Hannah continued, "and they... tore the lighting fitting. Eventually, the, uh... all the lights blew out, and...they couldn't see me in the dark, and...I ran away, I just lived on the streets. Finally... welfare picked me up,and this is wh...where they brought me." Although he wanted more information he waited knowing she needed to tell him her story.

"I barely spoke for months, 'cause I was so terrified that those men would come and get me. I just wanted a...a different name."

Callen couldn't stay silent anymore. "Why my name?" He asked.

"You...you had a sister. Her name was Amy, and she...she slept over there," She said pointing to the bed opposite her, "and she was my friend."

Callen felt the tears forming, "I don't have a sister." He reiterated.

"She told me about you."

"No." he resisted.

"Yeah. She said she used to push you in-in a little cart, like, a little red cart, and you used to squeal to go faster and faster."

His mind whirled as long buried images came to him, an older girl with blonde hair pushing him.

"And one day, it crashed and you hurt your arm." Hannah said.

A single tear fell and he looked down at the small scar on his wrist.

"And Amy cried, and you didn't. And then she swore that she would always... always protect you."

He heard voices in the distance and sister or not he decided he would protect her. "Come on." He said he grabbed her hand and they ran.

They got turned around, Callen shot two of the Iranians and hit the third going for his gun that was on the floor, as he reached for it, Karim Akbari, stood on Callen's hand and kicked him holding a gun on him.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger a gunshot sounded by his ear, Hannah stood shaking by the large empty swimming pool shaking in fear but determined to save the man she thought of as her baby brother.

Akbari turned and with an evil grin started walking towards her smiling as she shot, each shot going wide of its target.

Kensi and Sam entered the building and with a look of fear at each other ran towards the sound of the gunshots.

Akbari raised his gun at her as Callen managed to find his feet and shot him from behind. Akbari went down landing dead in the bottom of the pool as Kensi and Sam got into position and shot him from the front.

"G?" Sam called worriedly.

"I'm good." Callen called as he glanced at Akbari and ran towards Hannah who was sliding in shock down the wall whimpering in fear.

Kensi looked on staring at the woman who could be related to her husband and she picked up her phone and dialed ops.

Eric picked up the call, "its Kensi." He said to the room."

"Eric, we're secure. Callen and...Whoever she is, are both fine." She said watching as they both clung to each other.

In Ops Hetty and Nate smiled with relief.

* * *

Hannah sat on a small stage as Callen paced up and down trying to get his emotions in order. "What happened to her?" he asked.

Hannah gave a small smile, "We used to sneak out at night...down to the river. This one...one time she slipped. I tried to save her, and it just...just swept her away. So I hid in her bed. And they thought Hannah Lawson had gone missing. Both blondes, both the same age-they... didn't really know us, and they didn't really care. It was easy to pretend. And about a month later, they found her body and she was buried with my name. Hannah Lawson. And I lived with hers. Amy Callen."

Callen stared at her in the space of a day he had gained and lost family. All he wanted to do was to gather his family up in his arms and keep them safe.

Callen took her to the boathouse and watched as she signed the forms for Trent Kort and the CIA to get what it was that they needed. As Kort left Sam and Kensi followed, Kensi shooting him a look to make sure he was ok, he nodded and it was just the two of them.

Hannah looked over at Callen, "She loved you so much. You know, she cried herself to sleep every night, 'cause she couldn't be with you."

He was left with one burning question he hoped that with all she knew she would know the answer to this one, "What'd she call me?" he asked as she was going out of the door.

"Baby brother." Hannah said confused.

"No, I...I mean..." He found he couldn't voice it.

"Just baby brother." She said and left.

* * *

Callen had taken a while, he had walked along the marina trying to get his head around everything and he knew that more than anything he had to face the music for his actions.

Kensi met him outside the mission and held him for a moment, "You ok?" she asked.

He smiled sadly "Ask me after Hetty has torn me a new one."

She checked for anyone around and pulled him into a corner for a kiss, "Go, see Hetty, do what you need to do and tonight you come home to me and Lena, come home to your family." She said.

"I love you," he said kissing her back, he looked into her eyes and sighed "wish me luck." He grinned as he walked into the mission.

* * *

Looking contrite he walked over to Hetty's office, she was sharpening yet another pencil and she stopped and looked up at him, "You disobeyed my directive-I can't let that stand." She said taking the pencil out and examining the point.

"And you wouldn't have done the same thing?" Callen argued.

"Oh...I know  _ **my**_ family, Mr. Callen." She said sitting in her chair and looking up at him. "Believe me when I say, sometimes I envy you  _ **not**_ knowing yours." She said.

She wrote an address on a piece of paper and handed it to him, "I'm standing you down...

"Hetty, come on...!" Callen exclaimed, he knew he'd done wrong, but he didn't think he needed to lose his job over it.

"...for one day." She finished, she looked pointedly at the paper in his hand, "Use it wisely."

Callen looked at the address on the paper.

He nodded and left.

* * *

Walking around the cemetery he saw her grave, looking at the headstone he knelt down, remembrances of his sister running through his head, "Hey Amy, I'm your baby brother," he said quietly, "You're an auntie now, I'm sorry I didn't find you, but maybe you can look down on me and be proud of me," Callen looked over at the flowers on the grave.

' _ **For my sweet daughter always in my heart.'**_ It read. Callen looked at the card shocked, Hannah said her father died! That meant…maybe his mother…or father…? He looked up in hope and saw a man taking a photograph.

Callen jumped up and chased after him, too late he watched as the man jumped into a car and drove away.

He may not have caught up with the man but he held the card like it was a lifeline, he had family out there…somewhere of that now he was certain. But right now he needed to go home to the biggest secret he had, the family he held dear, his wife and child.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Callen had had a rough night; he'd been doing paperwork till 3am and had no intention of waking either Lena or Kensi up, so having sent her a text telling her that he'd been caught up and he'd meet her at the office later he'd stayed at the mission.

Finally succumbing to the need for sleep he crashed out on the old worn sofa in the bullpen.

His nightmares of late; coming back and disturbing his sleep.

He woke up in bed to find Hetty sitting near him holding a cup of tea.

"Did you catch him this time? You were twitching like a sleeping dog." She said handing him the cup of tea.

"Ah, you know what they say about sleeping dogs." He sighed and shook his head, "No, I didn't catch him."

"Lose him on the metro?" Hetty asked recalling the conversation they'd had the other night when he had again slept on the couch.

"No." He sat up a bit straighter and sighed again, "Chased him into a building. Downtown. And no... I didn't see his face."

"I wonder what Nate would make of that." Hetty said to him.

Callen gave her a small smile, "Same thing he made of it last month. And the month before that. "Unresolved identity issues."

"Yours or the man you were chasing?" She looked at his bag and he blanket slung over the couch. "You need a place to live, Mr. Callen."

There was no way Callen was telling her about Lena, or the fact that he had defied her and was still married to Kensi.

"I'm staying at Sam's." He told her taking another sip of the tea keeping his face neutral

"Spare rooms and office couches, flophouse floors are not conducive to a restful sleep. And I need you awake. Someone's gone missing." Hetty said.

Callen immediately woke up and was paying attention a ball of worry forming in his stomach, what if it were Kensi, or Lena… "Who?" He asked dreading the answer.

"Deeks." Hetty said.

The worry lessened but Deeks was a team member and he was the team leader, he knew that he needed to find him. He allowed himself a second to be relieved his wife and daughter were safe and stood up, downing the last of the tea, to deal with the mission at hand.

* * *

Kensi woke up, smiled as she saw Callen's text, he'd been getting nightmares a lot recently and had taken to sleeping at work, she knew that he wasn't trying to distance himself from her, rather that he was trying to spare her the sleepless nights that came with his nightmares and not wanting to wake their daughter at all.

She got Lena dressed, showered and dropped her off with Eva on the way to work.

Pulling up outside she ran into Sam and they went into the mission, via the back door, they turned and Sam looked at her, "Is he still sleeping here?" he asked.

"Just until the nightmares ease, doesn't want to wake anyone."

"Have you thought about asking him to talk to Nate?" Sam asked.

Sam and Kensi walked across the NCIS gym, avoiding the other Agents that were training.

"He never asked." She told him.

"You've never offered." Sam stated as fact.

"I should offer?" She asked wondering if he would do that for Michelle.

"Never offer." Sam said flatly, remembering how ballistic Callen went when he last suggested therapy for his partner.

"Never?" Kensi asked surprised.

"Ever." Sam said stopping and looking at her.

"Kind of feel bad for not offering. You offered." She said.

"That's why I'm telling you not to offer."

Kensi had thought about it, She hated him sleeping at the office, but maybe then if the nightmares continued, he could take the spare room, and sleep in there, at least he'd still be home.

"But I-I've got a spare room. Okay, so there's some stuff in it, a lot of stuff." Most of it Lena's toys, "But I could clear a space on the floor, a small space."

"Kensi, G does not sleep. He catnaps, 20 minutes at a time." Sam reminded her.

Kensi rolled her eyes, of course she knew this, "That is not so bad." She told him, it wasn't she was used to it.

"Then he gets up, moves around, makes his tea, pulls the toaster apart, puts it back together, practices his Russian." He reminded her as they saw Hetty walk past.

"Okay, that could be irritating." Kensi agreed with him, although honestly it wasn't, Callen practising his Russian usually lulled her to sleep.

"He doesn't sleep, so you can't." Sam said standing in OPS center, near the stairs, Kensi looked up as Callen saw them and jogged over with a smile.

"Well, he never looks tired." Kensi said smiling back as Callen jogged down the stairs.

"Morning." Callen grinned, brushing her back as he walked past.

"Hey." She said back to him.

Callen stopped and stared at Sam, "You look like crap."

"Thank you." Sam snapped sarcastically.

"Hey..." Kensi said as Callen jogged back up to OPS

Sam put his hand on her arm, "Do not offer." He advised and they followed him up the stairs.

* * *

They walked into OPS and joined the others in front of the big screen.

"Ms. Blye. Mr. Hanna. Oversleep again, did you? Early this morning, I got a call from the LAPD. They've lost contact with Detective Deeks. He's been on an extended undercover assignment since he left us." Hetty said filling them in.

"How long has he been out of contact?" Callen asked concerned.

"Yesterday afternoon."

Sam rolled his eyes, "It's kind of soon to be hitting the panic button, isn't it?"

Hetty ignored him and turned to Eric, "Mr. Beale." She said.

Eric clicked and a picture of a bombed out car appeared on the screen, "14 hours ago, a bomb detonated in this car in South Central. Two occupants were both killed. Emilio Philip Ortega and his bodyguard, Luis Manuel Fellano." He clicked again and their ID's appeared on the screen. "Both with extensive records, mostly relating to acts of violence."

Hetty continued, "And both the target of Detective Deeks' undercover assignment. His case officer phoned to see if he'd been in contact with us. I offered our assistance."

"Is there a military angle to this?" Callen asked.

"No. But Detective Deeks is still our liaison officer with the LAPD, which makes him about as close to one of us as it gets. His case officer, Detective Jess Traynor, will brief you all." Hetty told them.

"Deeks should have phoned in the moment that happened." Sam growled his face annoyed.

"Hence the panic button." Hetty said flatly

* * *

Kensi and Callen rode together to the boathouse, Callen was driving and they were keeping Sam in sight at all times, "You sleep ok babe?" Callen asked.

Kensi smiled, "Yeah, I got your text, Lena missed you."

Callen sighed, "I miss her and you, but while the nightmares keep me up like this the mission is my best option, at least when I can't sleep I can work…it also has the added advantage of keeping Hetty off our trail."

"You think she knows something?" Kensi shot her husband a worried look.

"I don't know, while we were dealing with the Keelson case, I thought she might have known something, but she didn't say, and if we want to stay on the same team we had better not say anything either." He said.

She agreed with him, "Ok, it would be nice if we could tell them, but keeping Lena safe has to be our first priority."

Callen nodded as he pulled up outside the boathouse. "Well, Kenz, get your game face on, it's time to meet our liaison's partner."

"I'll bet she's pretty," Kensi sighed.

"Na, honey, in a room with you no one is pretty," He gave her a quick kiss and they climbed out of the car.

* * *

Sam, Callen and Kensi sat round the table listening to Jess Traynor talk about the investigation Deeks was on.

Jess Traynor handed them a file. "The late Emilio Ortega. Born in San Diego, mother and father both illegal. Collected a string of juvenile offenses when he was younger. Worked with his father as a smuggler crossing the Mexican border. After his father was killed, Emilio drifted up to L.A. and joined a street gang that specialized in extortion. After three years, Emilio was the man. Figured he killed a couple of his friends on the way up." She said watching as they skimmed the files.

"Oh, that's surprising." Sam said.

Jess looked at him, an emotion Kensi couldn't read crossed her face, but Jess continued, "Six months ago, an informant gave us Intel that suggested that Emilio was planning a career change. Someone wanted to buy his particular skills."

"Well, being a good stand-over guy isn't an uncommon skill in an L.A. street gang." Kensi said.

"But knowing how to move freely across the Mexican-U.S. border is. Emilio's father taught him well." Jess explained.

"Drugs for guns?" Kensi said as a guess.

Traynor shook her head, "Human trafficking. We think young women and girls from as far away as Brazil."

Kensi looked disgusted.

"Who approached him?" Callen asked.

"A Serbian by the name of Lazik." Traynor replied. She puts a picture of the man on the screen in front of them, "Not a lot's known about him. No criminal record, 'cause he's never been caught. Rumored to run a human trafficking ring in Europe." She informed them

"Going global." Sam surmised.

"Lazik put up the money for Emilio to buy a string of safe houses. But Emilio needed someone who understood the real estate world, so we gave him one." Jess told them.

"Deeks." Kensi guessed.

"He went in as a lawyer who'd had his license revoked because of a couple of shady land deals. It was easy for Marty…D…Detective Deeks…, to spin it. You know he was a lawyer?" Traynor said hoping no one had noticed her slip.

Everyone had.

"Yeah, I know." Callen said as the others looked surprised, "So who killed Emilio?" He asked.

"Emilio was pissed that he'd done all the work and that Lazik was gonna make all the money, and he told Deeks he was gonna do something about it." Traynor said looking around as the others made the connections.

"Someone must have tipped Lazik off." Sam said.

"And now he's reasserting control." Callen supplied.

Kensi thought of something, "Where does this leave Deeks?" She asked.

For the first time, Jess Traynor looked stricken with worry, "I wish I knew." She told them.

They left the boathouse, the team walking with Jess to her car.

"Cell phone?" Kensi offered.

"Turned off." Jess said sadly.

"GPS tracker?" Sam said.

"We only tagged Deeks' car. And we found it a couple blocks away from our safe house. We have protocols for this kind of situation, and Deeks hasn't responded to any of them." She looked really worried.

"Who spoke to him last?" Callen asked, it was usually the last person who knew the most.

"I did." Jess said, she stopped and turned around facing the others who were looking at her suspiciously, "Regular debrief."

"Shared Intel. Need to know everything." Callen pushed.

Jess knew that she would share everything with them to get Marty back, but she still had to check with her superior, "And you will." She turned and walked towards her car the pain of not knowing starting to form a ball in her stomach.

"Do you think he's dead?" Sam asked.

Jess looked sad then mad, "Nothing for 16 hours? What do you think?" She snapped and walked to her car.

Sam, Kensi and Callen turned to go and walked away. Callen was quiet for a moment and then he spoke, "She's holding something back." He said.

"I think she likes him. Doesn't want to admit it." Kensi said she could see a lot of her in the young woman.

Callen bit the inside of his lip as he shook his head, "No, something else. It's like she's hiding something." He was certain of it.

"So let's ask her." Sam said.

Instantly they were struck by a wall of heat as the car Traynor was in exploded.

People screamed running around, Kensi helped a man up and Callen called the fire department and they looked at the shell of the car that moments before had held Deeks' partner.

* * *

"Well, Callen, you know, I don't need to say anything to you. I don't need to share; I don't need your advice. What I do need is for you to let me do my job." Frank Scarli snapped at him strutting around the crime scene, he didn't want, or have time to talk to FBI wannabes.

"Your crime scene." Callen said placating the older man.

Scarli turned to Sam who was walking up to the pair of them, "Who's this guy?" He sneered.

"With me." He didn't want to talk to this guy more than he had too, ten minutes and he already couldn't stand him.

"Sam Hanna." Sam smiled and extended his hand.

"Frank Scarli. How many guys did Traynor brief?" He asked looking over at the burnt out car.

"Three." Sam replied.

"I need witness statements from all of you. Don't leave anything out."

"Sorry for your loss. She your partner?" Sam asked.

Scarli rolled his eyes, "No. Deeks was her partner. They'd just started working together. I didn't envy him, either. She could be difficult. Four months they worked on this case. You know what they had at the end of four months? They had nothing. And nobody could figure out why. Did she tell you that when she briefed you? I didn't think so. This case was stone-cold dead yesterday morning. It wasn't going anywhere. Now I got a cop dead, I got two missing, and I got is a triple homicide."

"Lazik?" Callen asked him.

Scarli nodded, "Emilio Ortega's got a lot of guys out there that would love to whack him. No thought of killing a cop or two, either. But he's gonna learn something now. He's gonna learn that you can't do this and not pay for it here. 'Cause California isn't Mexico. Not yet, anyway."

"What if Deeks is still alive? What if his cover hasn't been blown?"

"Take a good look over there at Traynor. And then you let me know if you think that Deeks is still alive. LAPD investigation. Stay out of our way." Scarli snapped and walked off.

* * *

"He's looking for payback." Sam said to Callen who nodded, there was a hatred there when he'd said Deeks' name, he wasn't sure why but he hoped he'd find out.

"Seen this before. Same kind of blast pattern, same size detonation." Kensi said looking at the car.

"Where?" Callen asked.

"Crime scene photos from Emilio's car this morning." Kensi told them

Sam looked around at the realization hit him. "Wasn't a timer; there's no way of guaranteeing she'd be in the car."

"Yeah, not enough time to wire it to the ignition, either, which leaves..." Kensi started.

"Remote." Sam finished, "They were out here...waiting for her."

They all looked around but no one stuck out at them.

* * *

Nate was reading the paper walking across the room as Hetty called to him, "Nate." She said he stopped and walked over.

Nate sighed and leant against the post by the entrance to her office space. "You rang?" he asked.

"I called. I didn't ring, Nate." Hetty told him.

"No, I meant, like...Okay..." he was nervous he'd admit, keeping Callen and Kensi's secret for so long meant that whenever he was around her the urge to break his oath was too strong and he was worried when she found out she might shoot him.

"Two unrelated questions." She asked from behind her desk

"Shoot. I mean ask away. Ask away." Nate said nervously.

"Uh, as I'm sure you're aware; Mr. Callen is staying over in Mr. Hanna's spare room." Hetty said.

Nate went cold. "Yes." He lied.

"In your professional opinion, and knowing Mr. Callen as you do, do you think there's any benefit for him in this arrangement?"

Nate looked uncomfortable as he scrambled for an answer.

"Well, the upside is, it puts him in a home environment with somebody he knows and trusts."

"And the downside."

"It puts subtle pressures and strains on their relationship."

"I've noticed." Hetty said, Nate gulped, "Mr. Hanna looks like crap."

"And in the long term, it does nothing to help Callen resolve his issues of abandonment and isolation he's suffered since he was a child. He needs his own place, Hetty." Nate said

"Don't we all?" Hetty replied. "Uh, second, unrelated question. Do you have plans for this weekend?"

"Plans?" Well he planned on going to Lena's birthday party, but he couldn't tell her about that.

"Plans." Hetty pushed.

Nate cleared his throat, "Uh...are you asking me out?" She looked at him impassively he wasn't going to crack if she knew something she'd have to tell him first. "No, that'd be weird. Um...No. No... no plans. No plans." He said shaking his head.

"Good. Thank you, Nate." She said

"Thank you," Nate replied and high tailed it out of there.

After discovering Lazik was in Los Angeles, Callen saw Nate who filled him in on his little meeting with Hetty, "I think she knows." He warned him, "She asked if I was doing anything this weekend." He said.

"You're still coming aren't you; Lena would be gutted if Uncle Nate couldn't make it." Callen said quietly.

"Got he a new stuffed bunny for her collection and some crayons." He grinned.

Callen shot him a look, "They'd better be washable, I had to repaint after the last one's you got her."

Nate smiled, "Repaint, or move…I think Hetty's looking for another house for you."

Callen shrugged, "I'm sure she'll let me see it first, I'll find something I hate about it and we'll keep looking." He looked around, "Where is she anyway I need to fill her in on Lazik."

"I think she's in the range," Nate said.

Callen left and walked to the range, watching her shoot left handed as he gazed at her through the window in the door. She didn't seem angry, maybe she still didn't know.

* * *

She stopped firing and he walked in.

"You shoot with your left hand?" He asked surprised, he had thought she was right handed.

"Uh...not often." She replied as the target came towards her all the shots are centered on the target and Callen looked impressed.

"Impressive." He said nodding appreciatively.

Hetty shook her head disappointed. "First shot missed."

Callen looked at the single hole in the shoulder of the target, "Well, I think you would have gotten his attention."

Hetty smiled and reloaded her gun.

"So Lazik, the Serbian...just landed in Los Angeles yesterday two hours before Emilio Ortega was killed." Callen told her

"And?" Hetty pushed him.

"LAPD doesn't want to share." Callen took the target down and put a new one up for her.

"Well, that's understandable, given what transpired with Detective Traynor." Hetty told him.

"Yeah, they told us to stay out of their way." Callen was annoyed, he hated politics.

"Then that's what you should do. Stay out of their way and find Mr. Deeks." She smiled as he caught on.

"They're not going to like it if they catch us." He said pushing the button for the target to go back.

"Then don't get caught." Hetty smiled, her cell phone rang and she stopped to answer it, "Lange… Where? …When? …I will." She closed her phone and turned to Callen, "Find Lazik, Mr. Callen."

Callen noted the change in her, he hoped it was because she had found Deeks, but he was still worried she was having him investigated, so he waited until she left and then followed her.

* * *

He was surprised when she entered a bar, he walked around the back and watched as she ordered a tea and sat in front of a scrabble board.

He turned his head as the main door opened and someone walked in, coming up to the board and standing while Hetty moved the letters and didn't look up.

"We were beginning to think you were dead." She said to the man before her.

A battered, slightly burned and bruised Deeks swayed as he took a seat, "Not yet." His voice was shaky and weak, "Maybe tomorrow."

Deeks sat in front of Hetty the blood on his shirt visible, hands still shaking as he drank his tea.

"So... Cyrillic alphabet. Russian, yeah?" he asked.

"You play?" Hetty asked recognizing his need to deflect.

"In English…" He gave a small laugh, "And badly. In Russian...It's giving me a headache just thinking about it. What's that word?" he pointed to the board.

"Opasnost. It means "danger." She told him.

"Great. So a Russian Scrabble/Ouija board, then." Deeks quipped.

"You're not too badly hurt?" She asked her eyes roaming up and down looking for obvious signs of injury.

"I'm stinging all over here." He admitted.

Hetty nodded, "Hmm."

"I was in Emilio's car, and, um, his remote for his security gate malfunctioned, so I jumped out to open it, and... And a few seconds either way, of course, and...So Emilio's bodyguards threw me in the back of their car and got me to a doctor, which, in retrospect, I was pretty sure was a vet." He gave a small chuckle.

"Ah." Hetty said and continued listening.

"He patched me up and...shot me with a horse tranquilizer and put me out for 15 hours. When I came to, I...I tried to call her, but she, uh..." he couldn't say it, he took a sip of tea.

"Detective Traynor."

"Too late." He looked broken but he took a sip of his tea.

"So, why did you call me, instead of the LAPD?" Hetty asked although she was pleased he trusted her.

"'Cause LAPD would have just shut down the operation, pulled me off it."

"There is no operation, Mr. Deeks. The operation died with Detective Traynor." Hetty said watching as he got increasingly agitated.

"Okay, listen. Lazik's in town, all right? My friendly vet told me this, and as soon as Emilio's bodyguards found out, they split. This is a scary guy… Lazik." He told her hoping she was really listening to him.

"So you think he's responsible?" Hetty asked calmly.

"Are you kidding me?! Who doesn't?" He said

"Well, the LAPD seems to think Emilio had a lot of enemies." Hetty said.

"No. No, no. It's got to be Lazik, all right?" Deeks shook his head getting more animated, "Every time he called, they would argue. Emilio was setting up a pipeline for Lazik to smuggle girls out of Mexico. We're talking about abducted, underage and drugged..." He turned away unable to finish his own thought.

"But you have no proof." Hetty reasoned.

"Yeah, because the first shipment would have been the proof." Deeks argued back, this was important how could she not see that.

"So, what exactly do you want from me, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"To help me finish what we started. I mean, Lazik put a lot of money into this. He's not going to want to turn his back on that. He's looking for a replacement for Emilio. That's all I want." Deeks pleaded.

Hetty thought for a moment then handed him a key, "Safe house. The, uh, address is on the tag. Get some sleep. Call me in the morning. I'll see what I can do, but I have no jurisdiction over the LAPD. They could simply tell me to bugger off." Hetty said honestly.

Deeks outright laughed, "Mm-hmm. Yeah, well, I'd like to see 'em try. Think you got a triple word score there with the one with all the squiggly letters. What's it mean?"

"Be careful." Hetty said looking at the word 'berech'sya'

"Okay. Pretty sure you just made that up, but I, uh... but I will. And, um... thank you." He laughed and stood up with one more look he left for the safe house.

Callen waited until Deeks left then emerged from the kitchen. "

Mr. Callen." Hetty said he walked over to where she was sitting, "I don't take kindly to being tailed."

"Well, I'm more of a wingman than a tail man." He quipped, his relief that Deeks was ok showing.

"How did you know?" she asked mad with herself.

"Well, before the call, it was, "Find Deeks." After the call, it was, "Find Lazik." He told her.

"Careless of me." She shook her head chastising herself. She was letting a lot of things slip through her fingers nowadays. She watched as Callen moved the pieces on the board.

"Now, we need to find Lazik before he finds Deeks."

"Mm-hmm."

"Tryasina, Quagmire." He smiled and left.

"Trekhmestnyy otsenka ya vyigrayu, (Triple score I win)…Goody." She said to herself.

* * *

After taking down Lazik's dealer Tommy Bishop but being thwarted by Scarli, Kensi managed to get the information that Eric needed to decrypt his satellite phone.

Walking into Ops Nate put a file up on the screen, "We have some information," he said. "Emilio Ortega's cell phone log. Eric ran a check on all of the numbers made and received, came up with this number. 27 calls in the last six months, most of them incoming. Call durations varied. Some were a few seconds; most five, ten minutes in length."

"Do we have a name?" Kensi asked

"It's kind of hard to believe." Nate said uncomfortably.

"Try us, Nate." Sam snapped.

"Detective Jess Traynor. Like I said kind of hard to believe." He looked around at the astonishment on their faces.

"Is that landline or cell phone?" Callen asked.

"Cell phone. Now, we managed…well, Eric managed…to access the voice mail. Only one message."

"Emilio, it's Traynor. We need to meet-two hours' time, same place. Call me back if you can't make it." Traynors' dead voice floated around the room.

"Face time as well as phone time." Sam observed

"And more than once. When was that message left?"

"One hour before Emilio was killed." Nate said.

"Did he call her back?" Sam asked,

"No." Nate replied.

"That means he was going to make the meet, then." Sam said.

"Deeks' LAPD handler was on Emilio's payroll." Kensi said

"Scarli said the operation was going nowhere; they had nothing. Might explain why." Sam mused aloud.

"But Traynor, sabotaging her own operation? I mean..." Kensi was cut off by her husband.

"Nate?" Callen said.

" It's possible. She certainly wouldn't be the first. Motive would probably be money." Nate said.

Figuring out that Lazik new that Emilio had a cop on the payroll meant that Deeks would still be in danger, Eric told them that Lazik had called Tommy Bishop and arranged for a delivery of cocaine.

Sam called Lazik's phone and Eric used the camera to confirm it was him and confirm his location.

"So what do we do now?" Eric asked.

"Well, Deeks is a cop, so technically, we should pass the Intel on to Detective Scarli at LAPD?...But Deeks is "our" cop, so..." Nate coughed hoping Callen would run with it.

And run he did.

* * *

Eric supplied them with the address of the decommissioned power plant Lazik was using off the 101 and Callen Sam and Kensi piled into the car.

On the way there Sam drove, Callen formulated half a plan and Kensi checked on Lena.

She turned the phone on speaker and they listened as Lena told about her day.

"Cray…wall mommy.." Kensi smiled and Callen grimaced, Nate and those crayons, he was going to have a talk with him.

"That's good baby, mommy and daddy might be back in time for a story tonight," she said.

"Dada?" Lena's voice filled the car.

In spite of his dour mood Callen smiled, "Yeah baby girl?"

"Puppy?" she asked.

"What?" Callen said and shot a panicked look at his wife,

"Sorry Callen, Kensi…" Eva's voice came over the phone, "I took her to the park today and a man was giving away puppies and she wants one for her birthday."

Callen relaxed at the fact that she hadn't already got one. "Ok baby, we'll see, we have to go now ok?" he said.

"Bye mommy, Bye Dada, Bye unka Sam." Lena giggled.

Kensi shut the phone off as they said goodbye, Sam smiled, "They're cute at that age." He said.

As they pulled into the disused power plant the mood in the car went back into work mode.

* * *

Callen grabbed a tissue box and wrapped it in duct tape, taking point he entered the warehouse, having been told that one of the cars outside belonged to Dale John Sully, Deeks' alias he kept an eye out for him.

Lazik was on the phone to his wife while Deeks was being searched, He ended the call and turned to Deeks.

"Sorry. My wife. What? You are surprised I have wife?" Lazik turned to Deeks with a smile.

"Everybody's got to have somebody, right?" Deeks replied.

"Now that I'm cutting my trip short, she wants to meet me in Paris. I'm good husband. You are very brave for coming to see me." He said looking at the blond man.

"Listen, I understand that Emilio screwed up, but I didn't have anything to do with that." Deeks said

Lazik lost his smile and looked feral, "Emilio lied to me!"

"Okay." Deeks hoped he could placate him.

"He had contact in LAPD, but he did not tell me that. So he had to pay price for poor judgment. And now because of that, four months' work and lots of money wasted." Lazik complained.

"That's why I'm here. It's not wasted if you let me take over." He tried hoping he'd take the bait.

"You hear? Business proposition." Lasik and his men laughed at that.

"Listen, I helped set up the safe houses. I know the people to pay off at the border." Deeks said desperately.

"So? Go on."

"All I'm asking for here is one shipment, all right? One shipment. I screw it up, you close it down, nothing lost. But if I make this happen, you and I, we're in business. And all that money is not wasted." Deeks was begging inside that he would take this, this was his last chance.

"You are very persuasive." Lazik said looking at his men.

"Thank you." Deeks started to relax

"But I am afraid it's not going to work." Lazik said.

Deeks had a strange feeling of dread start up in his stomach, "It can work- you just got to give me a chance."

"Shame. Working with you would have been so much more interesting than Emilio."

"It still can be." Deeks offered.

"No, it cannot be...Mr. Deeks. Pardonnez-moi...Detective Deeks, LAPD. Hmm?" Lazik moved as his two men cocked their guns and took aim at him, "It's a shame. My wife would really like you."

Deeks closed his eyes, he had failed, but at least he'd see Jess soon.

* * *

"Kensi, you on line?" Callen asked into his earwig.

"On line and in position." Kensi told him,

"Sam?" he asked

"I'm set. You're good to go." Callen drove his car up to the others, Climbed out with the packaged and walked into the building.

Inside the warehouse Lazik had watched as he men beat Deeks, he knew he was a cop and he was determined to find out all he knew.

"You think I don't know about you? I find out about you long time ago. Emilio. He never told me how he knew, but I find out he's making payoff to someone in your office with my money. Mine!" Lazik snarled.

"Ah...that's too bad." Deeks said spitting out some blood.

"I wanted to see how far this goes. Yeah. So I had him followed." He opened his phone and showed him the picture of Jess, "You know her?" he asked.

"I've never seen her before." Deeks lied

"No?"

"No. She's foxy, though, right?" He grinned spitting some more blood out. His grin getting wider when the blood landed on Lazik's shoes.

"Taken outside Detective Traynor's apartment. You liked her, no? You like dirty cop? She dirty in bed, too?" Lazik as as he showed Deeks a picture of him outside her apartment early in the morning, Deeks moved to hit him but one of Laziks men held him back. "Maybe Emilio didn't have to pay her much, after all."

He hit Deeks again and he fell to his knees gasping for breath.

* * *

Callen and Sam enter, Callen bluffing to get closer until,

"Federal agents. No one move!" Sam yelled.

There was gunfire and shouting, Deeks stopped Sam from being shot by Lazik and then he moved out of sight.

"Deeks?" Callen called.

"I'm good." He replied there was more shooting and Deeks saw a gun on the floor he grabbed it and followed Callen, Sam downstairs after Lazik and another of his men.

After killing the men, and almost shooting Sam, Deeks turns to the two men, "Couple more minutes, I think I could have taken 'em all." He said with a bloody smile.

"Hey, Deeks. It's good to see you." Sam said

"Good to see you, too, Sam."

"Callen? Sam!" Kensi called worriedly.

"Clear, Kensi." Sam called.

"Told you I'd be back." Deeks joked to Kensi.

"Oh, shut up." She replied, relieved he was ok, but even more relieved Callen wasn't hurt.

"Lazik found out that Emilio was paying off a dirty cop." Deeks said sadly

"Traynor. We know." There was a look on Deeks' face that she didn't understand as he walked out.

* * *

Two hours later in the parking lot near Scarli's favorite coffee house, Deeks sat in his car. Scarli got in and sat down in the passenger seat.

"Deeks." Scarli said.

Deeks gestured to the drink on the dashboard, "Black two sugars, right?" he asked.

"I'm glad you made it, kid." Scarli said as he took a sip.

"Yeah, well, I almost didn't. So what do I do?" Deeks asked looking at the man.

"About what?"

"About Traynor. I mean, what do I tell Internal Affairs?" Deeks turned to look at him.

"The truth can't hurt, Deeks." Scarli offered.

A dark look crossed Deeks' face. "She's dead."

"Right."

"I trusted her." He said sadly.

"We all trusted her." Scarli replied.

Deeks sighed, "You know, she told me this story one time. Showed me this photo." Deeks showed Scarli a photo of two smiling girls, "That's her on the left. The other girl's her cousin. That's Christina. And they're walking home one night, and this van pulls up, and these two guys jump out, and they try to abduct them. Traynor, she gets away, but her cousin, she's, uh, not so lucky. They found her body down in Mexico 18 months later. Human traffickers, Frank. So I keep asking myself...you know, I said, with a history like that, how she could be in business with a scumbag like Emilio Ortega? And that's when I realized it. She wasn't. Frank...she was just trying to figure out who was. So while I'm busy out there trying to catch Lazik, she's trying to win Emilio's trust, so that he's gonna tell her who it is that he was really paying off. That would be you." Deeks stared out the window holding in his emotions.

The sound of a gun cocking filled the car as Scarli drew his gun on Deeks who sighed like it was inevitable.

"If Lazik hadn't killed them, I would have. I'm sorry, Deeks."

"No, you're not." Deeks looked heartbroken.

"Lower your weapon." Sam snarled, aiming his gun at Scarli, Deeks took the gun and climbed out of the car as the team cuff Scarli.

"Did you get all that?" Deeks asked Callen who nodded.

"Every word of it." He said with a smile.

Scarli turned to Deeks and said, "So, tell me, Deeks...How was she in bed, huh?"

Deeks slammed Scarli up against the car.

"What did you say? Ask me again." He took out his gun and pressed it against Scarli's temple, " _ **Ask me again**_!"

"Deeks, look, he's not worth it." Callen put a hand on the detective's arm.

" _ **Ask me again**_!" Deeks was grief-stricken he had loved Jess and Scarli was taking it and making it into something cheap…something it wasn't.

Scarli panted, looking around scared.

" _ **Ask it again**_!" Deeks shouted in his face.

"Deeks, put it down! Deeks." Kensi said using the same voice she used when Lena had something she shouldn't have.

Deeks lowered the gun, he emptied it and dropped it on the ground. He looked at Sam who seeing his grief understood and turned Scarli around slamming again against the car.

Deeks turned as if to go, pulled back his fist and hit Scarli as hard as he could in the face.

Scarli groaned and swayed, Callen caught him and handed him to Kensi.

"You saw that! You all saw that!" Scarli complained.

"I didn't see a thing. You see anything, Sam?" Callen asked innocently.

"Not a thing." Sam replied.

Scarli sighed and shot Deeks an evil look, for a second, Deeks was rooted to the spot, and then he turned and walked away.

* * *

Kensi looked at Callen who nodded and she walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "Ok," Callen agreed and Kensi went after Deeks.

She caught up with him a block away, "Deeks, Please," she put a hand on his shoulder and stopped as he flinched.

"I'm sorry, Kens, It's just…Jess…she was special to me you know?" Deeks said, "I loved her, its empty here without her, have you ever loved someone that deep?" he asked.

"I still do," she admitted motioning him to sit at an outdoor café; He took a seat and watched her as she chewed her bottom lip. "Hetty is determined to make you our liaison, I'm gonna work with you…you need to know something now." Kensi said knowing that Deeks didn't need any more betrayal.

"What, you don't want me here; I'm not good enough for your team?" He snapped.

Kensi shook her head, "What I'm going to tell you, only Sam and Nate…and Callen know. No more and no less."

"Something you haven't told Hetty?" he asked intrigued.

"Yeah, I'm married and I have a daughter, she's nearly 2." Kensi smiled taking a picture of Lena out to show him.

Deeks stared at her in shock and slowly took the picture, "She's beautiful, and she kinda looks like Callen though." Deeks laughed, his laughter died as she didn't join in.

"Callen….You're married to Callen…?!" Deeks was stunned.

"Please, you need to keep this to yourself, I'm trusting you…LAPD didn't trust you but we do, this is our biggest secret and Callen and I am trusting you to help us keep it," she begged.

Deeks looked her in the eye and took her hand. "Absolutely. You can count on me." He said.

* * *

Hetty sat at her desk and poured her tea as she saw Nate walking past.

"Nate?" Hetty said

"You called?" He replied

"Pack a bag and your passport." She said.

Nate did a double take, "I'm sorry?" He asked.

"You're needed." She told him.

"Needed where?" Nate asked confused.

"You'll find out when you get there. There's a C-117 leaving in 90 minutes. Transports outside." She told him.

Nate looked confused, "But I, uh..."

"You did say you had no plans." She pushed,

Nate sighed and nodded, he had said that.

"Go." She ordered.

"Going." He replied resolving to send Kensi or Callen…or both a text while he's in the car.

* * *

Hetty spotted Callen looking at a photo on his desk and walked over to him.

Callen deep in thought flashed back to the graveyard and his sisters tombstone.

A man had been taking a photo and Callen had spotted him.

"Hey!" he yelled chasing the man, he jumped the wall but the man got into a car and peeled off tires squealing, whilst Callen took a picture of the car with a man sitting in the back seat.

"Did you catch him this time?" Hetty asked as Callen shut down his computer.

"Maybe I'll never catch him." He replied.

"Maybe you don't want to." She put a piece of paper in front of him and handed him a pen.

"What's this?" He asked confused.

"It's a contract. You're buying a house. I negotiated a very good price on your behalf. No loan required. You really do live very frugally, Mr. Callen. I had a friend look over the contract. It cost me a bottle of Grange. Consider it my housewarming gift. All you have to do is sign it." She handed him the pen.

"Hetty..."

"It's a deceased estate. Vacant possession. You can move in tomorrow."

"Hetty... I don't need a house." He thought about telling her there and then, but Hetty continued.

"I think you'll like the neighborhood, Mr. Callen." He read the address and despite all he wanted to say he couldn't hold back a smile.

"The realtor has the key." Hetty told him.

"I've already got one." He replied with a smile.

Callen walked into the house he'd lived in during his childhood, one of his very few happy memories, This house would be a good cover, and real estate was a good thing to own, Lena, would love this house, and one day maybe she'd live here and fill it with grandchildren for him and Kensi. Until then having his own place should keep Hetty off his tail.

He put the tea box with his memories on the mantel, laid his sleeping bag in the middle of the floor, after sending a quick text to Kensi he laid back, imagining this house full again of life, laughter and grandchildren, himself and Kensi sitting on the back porch watching their grandchildren play.

He laid back and smiled and for the first time in weeks, slept soundly.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Lena woke up and padded gently from her bedroom to the kitchen she was now 2 years and 3 months and was walking so much better than she had been, Kensi jumped as her tiny hands grabbed her mother's legs.

"Morning sweet pea." She said lifting her daughter up as Callen walked into the kitchen, his hair still we and with one shoe missing.

"Hey honey," Callen kissed his wife and his daughter, "That's mine," he laughed grabbing his boot from his daughter hand.

"Are you playing with daddy's shoes?" Kensi asked with a smile.

"Dada…shoes…mama…shoe…" Lena giggled.

"Oh you've hid my shoes too?" Kensi grinned.

Lena shook her head, "Mama shoe present." She said as Callen walked into their room and burst into laughter.

"Kens, you have to see this!" he called.

Kensi carried Lena to their room to see Kensi's shoes wrapped up in toilet paper on the bed.

"Birfday mama." Lena grinned, her five teeth shining in the morning sun.

Kensi kissed her daughter, "For me?" she asked as Lena smiled. "I didn't even know it was my birthday, thank you baby." She unwrapped her shoes as Callen got his pants on, put on his socks and finally went to put his boots on.

"Ewwww!" he jumped as his foot his something squishy inside the boot.

"Lena clean dada boot." She smiled.

He looked inside…"Toothpaste?" He looked at Kensi who was stifling her laughter, "Toddlers…honey I think we just hit the terrible twos."

"Poor Eva." Kensi laughed, "We should warn her." She said as she sat on the bed putting her shoes on and then got a clean pair of socks out of the drawer for Callen.

"Thanks." Callen pulled the socks on.

Lena laid down on the bed playing with the rag doll Uncle Nate had sent her for her birthday.

"Mama…dada…Nattie sleepy." Lena said and tucked the doll into her parents' bed and kissed her goodnight even though it was first thing in the morning.

"Hello!" Eva's voice came as she entered the house.

"In here!" Callen called as he pulled his shirt on.

"Dada no dressed…Dada stay home!" Lena said her little lip trembling.

Callen sat on the end of the bed and lifted Lena onto his lap. "Baby, Dada and mama have to go to work with Uncle Sam."

Lena shook her head, "Dada poorly…dada stay Lena." She sobbed as Callen held his daughter close.

Kensi looked over at her, "You ok?" she asked.

Callen nodded, "You go pick up Deeks, I'll be in as soon as she gets settled with Eva." He said rubbing their daughter's back.

Kensi kissed him and then lent over and kissed Lena's head, "Bye baby, you be good for Eva." She grabbed her bag and headed out her heart constricting at the sound of the daughter's sobs.

* * *

Deeks stood at a large cardboard box playing 3 card Monte. "Watch me close. Watch me close. Choose the two or the three, you lose. Choose the queen, win some green."

Joe the tech support guy sighed, "All right, fifth time's a charm." He picked his card which was a three, "Ah, man!" he sighed as Deeks grinned.

"Sorry, son, you picked the wrong one."

Callen walked in reading a text from Eva on his phone, he smiled as he read that Lena had calmed down and she and Nattie the rag doll were enjoying a leisurely breakfast of mashed banana.

"Hey, Dr. Seuss, keep it down." Sam said from over by his desk looking at something on his laptop.

"What? The kid is nice." Deeks argued.

"The kid is corny." Sam said, Callen looked over at him confused, Nell had sent him a text about what she and Kensi wanted to do but he was still confused by what Sam had said, "Deeks is flimflamming the support staff." Sam clarified.

Callen grinned as Deeks looked affronted.

"No, no. What I found was an entry point to a drug ring through a low-level thug with a gambling problem. And what I'm doing...sharpening my skill set. Set the trap. 'Cause you got to captivate the mark's eyes and ears with what you're doing with your mouth, but also with your hands." Deeks argued as Kensi listened carefully and Callen grabbed a fold of money from his back pocket.

"Captivate, not irritate." Sam snapped.

"I'm game." Callen grinned; he'd been good at this as a kid.

"Oh. Money on the wood makes the bet go good. Money out of sight, take a hike." Kensi leaned closer.

"This I gotta see." Kensi said giving Callen a wink.

"Uncle Marty throws 'em fast; Uncle Marty here to last." Deeks said.

Callen turned to Kensi, "Uncle… Marty?" He asked with a smirk.

"Beyond creepy." Kensi laughed.

"What you got?" Deeks asked.

Callen pointed at a card, it was the Queen.

Deeks looked surprised, "Okay. Okay. Beginner's luck. That's fine." Begrudgingly he handed over the money Callen had won.

Callen smirked at him, "You know, I'm feeling lucky. Double or nothing." He said handing him all of the money in his hand.

Up on the landing, Nell had a camera and was filming the cards, Callen winked at Nell and she smiled back.

"Doub... double...double or...you want to...All right. Let's do it." Deeks said getting over his initial nervousness and realizing there was no way Callen would win again.

Kensi smiled, as she saw the wink her husband sent Nell's way, "Okay, no, no, no, no. I... I want in on this. Let's see. We have one, two..." she counted out her money, "You know what? I'm all in."

"You're going to... you want to bet all that? Because that's a lot of 20s. All right. Okay. You know what? Let's do it… Ho! Comin' at you hard and I'm comin' at you fast. Uncle Marty bringing the hurt. Uncle Marty 'bout to take your shirt." Deeks said with renewed enthusiasm he clapped his hands, and turned to Callen, "What you got? Hmm?"

Callen stood and looked like he was thinking about it, he glanced at Sam who discreetly raised 3 fingers and Callen pointed to the third card.

"You sure?" Deeks asked.

Callen nodded, satisfied with his choice.

Resigned Deeks turned the card over.

"Oh, yes!" She raised her arms in victory, "Oh, yes, it is."

"Thank you." Callen grinned as he grabbed the money and walked off.

"Who is the loser? Who is the loser?" Kensi taunted Deeks who stood there looking confused.

"But didn't...I threw it to the...?" He said confused.

Up on the balcony Nell laughed quietly.

"Are you the loser?" Kensi asked him grinning from ear to ear.

"How did you not know that it...?" Deeks asked Callen

Hetty walked into the bullpen, "You may want to try hustling upstairs instead of each other. There's a situation downtown. And I don't appreciate you coercing Ms. Jones into your shenanigans." She said pointing at Callen.

Callen pointed innocently to Nell, "X-ray was her idea."

Hetty arched an eyebrow at him, "Uh-huh." She said disbelievingly. Nell grinned and disappeared back into OPS.

"Oh...All right, all right, yeah. Yeah, joke's over. I need the money back, 'cause obviously, everybody's in on this but me, which makes it super... not-awesome." Deeks said walking after everyone up the stairs.

* * *

Callen couldn't shake a knot of uneasiness that had settled in his gut as he climbed the stairs. He lent against the table and waited for the wonder twins to deliver today's bad news.

There was a news channel playing on the TV. Callen turned to Eric, "What are we looking at, Eric?" he asked as the others moved around the table to look.

"Looks like a protest situation at a Navy recruitment center downtown." Eric said tapping his tablet.

"Human barricade." Deeks said looking at then people standing in the window with their hands tied. [

"Protest just turned into a hostage situation." Sam said reiterating what Deeks just said.

"Well, here come the sharks." Kensi said with a slight grin as she saw the journalist speaking into the camera onscreen.

"Downtown hostage, and in fact, I think that we see the SWAT team is now just getting into position." The journalist said.

"What do we know about the guy who took the hostages?" Sam asked turning his attention from the journalist to Eric.

"Not a guy. A woman." Eric said pulling up a photo of a woman.

Callen stepped forward his face and body language screamed astonishment.

"You know her?" Sam asked concerned.

"You could say that." Callen nodded absently.

"The woman has just been identified as a Tracy Keller, a Valley Village soccer mom. The number of hostages is still unclear." The journalist said to the camera

"Well, this is weird. According to the military database, there's no Tracy Keller listed as next of kin." Eric said punching through his database.

"That's because the name's an alias." Callen said the knot in his gut getting tighter.

"An alias for who?" Kensi asked not wanting to really know the answer.

"My ex-wife." Callen stepped away from the table and Kensi; he could feel the waves of hurt coming off her.

He looked intently at the screen unable to meet his wife's eyes.

"We were in the CIA. We went undercover as husband and wife." He felt awful he knew he had to get Kensi alone and talk to her; this could break their whole marriage apart.

"Anything we should know?" Sam asked glancing at Callen and then Kensi.

Callen took a deep breath, "She's smart. Not just good grades. I mean other level intelligence. IQ's over 140." He waited to hear any reactions behind him.

"Mmm, not that smart. She must have missed the sniper awareness course." Nell said as Tracy showed herself on screen. "Yeah, Nell's right. She's putting herself at risk of a sniper's bullet with all that window gawking." Kensi gave a small smile.

"Almost like she's posing for the cameras." Sam interjected.

"She seems way too hot for you." Deeks said, Kensi gave him a filthy look, "What? I'm...I'm just saying!"

"You keep in touch?" Sam asked.

"No. She retired last I heard. That was five years ago." He said honestly.

"Undercover agents don't retire." Hetty said as she walked in the room, "They just go deeper."

"You guys ever consider putting a bell around her neck?" Deeks whispered to Kensi.

Kensi just smiled, knowing that Deeks' comment did not go unnoticed.

"Many people have tried, Mr. Deeks." Hetty deadpanned as she walked towards Callen.

"How does she hear that?" Deeks breathed.

"Shh." Kensi hissed.

Hetty looked at the big screen and then turned to Callen, "The question is, if she retired five years ago, why is she using her old alias?"

"Because that's a Navy recruitment center, and somehow she's figured out I'm NCIS. She's trying to contact me."

"Or she's taken a recruitment center hostage." Sam suggested.

Callen shook his head, "No. "Tracy Keller" was her alias only when we went undercover."

* * *

They left to go to the recruitment center, as they passed the file burn room Callen felt himself get pulled in by the arm.

"Kens," he said.

"How could you not tell me?" she hissed.

"It was a long time ago," Callen said, "Before we even met, the marriage was on paper only, for the op; I don't have any feelings for her." He turned and looked her in the eye, "I don't love her Kensi…I love you and Lena."

He wrapped his arms around, her, "I need to deal with this Kens and get her out of our lives,"

Kensi kissed him, "We'll do this, I love you G and I know that what happened with her is in the past, it's just…it was a shock, you know?"

Callen smiled, "For me too babe." He kissed her again and turned to go and meet Sam and Nell.

"Hey G?" Kensi asked as he took a step towards the door, "You don't have anymore ex-wives out there?" she asked with a smile.

"Na…only woman I loved enough to marry for real, is still married to me." He grinned. He walked out the door to catch up with Sam as Kensi followed looking for her partner.

* * *

Callen hadn't talked in the car at all, as Nell got out and went to do her part of the plan. Callen turned and walked towards the LAPD officers under a situation tent.

Sam caught up with him, "So, Tracy Keller. What's her real name?" He asked.

"I only knew her as Tracy." Callen admitted, he'd never been given their name when they were partnered.

"What happened between you two?" Sam asked

"Long story." Callen asked watching Kensi as she walked across the police line with Deeks.

"Give me the short version." Sam pressed.

Callen didn't say anything, he hadn't even told Kensi everything and he wanted her to be the first to know.

"If she wasn't central to this case, I'd let it go, but since she is, if there's something I need to know..."

"Let's just say she's the kind of person that chooses the mission over her partner." Callen snapped. He turned his attention to Deeks and Kensi as they caught up to them.

"All right, well, let me get the lay of the land; see what I can dig up. Maybe "Uncle Marty" can hustle LAPD into letting us take over. I'll take Kensi." Kensi shot Callen a smile and walked off with Sam.

"Okay, cool, but I just need to get some of that money back that I..." Deeks started as they walked off.

"Never going to happen." Sam called back as Kensi laughed.

Callen and Deeks walked over to a policeman who looked busy.

"What do you want, Deeks? I'm busy with a situation here." He snapped.

"This is Agent Callen, NCIS." Callen leaned over and shook the cops' hand.

"My men are already in position." The officer told them.

"I may have some inside information on the suspect. At least let me make first contact." Callen asked, hoping they'd say yes.

"She's not communicating. As soon as I get the orders, we're going to breach." Callen turns, if they breached Tracy could get hurt and he'd never forgive himself for that. He looked at Deeks and gestured to the policeman.

Deeks walked over and whispered in the officer's ear.

"You got ten minutes. If you're still in there when we breach, I'm not responsible." The officer said shooting Deeks a nasty look.

"Done." Callen said.

"I owe you." Deeks said to the officer and held out his hand which was ignored, he shook it off and jogged up to Callen, "Yep."

"What did you say to him?" Callen asked interested.

"Ah, there's this little rule about not dating the captain's daughter." Deeks grinned.

"He broke it?" Callen asked.

"All over the captain's desk." Deeks laughed as they walked up to Sam and Kensi.

"Hey." Kensi said.

"Hey." Deeks grinned at her.

"Tough perimeter to enforce. Plenty of holes if we want to get in." Sam said looking around to see if he'd missed any.

"No need. Deeks came through." Callen said with a grin.

"The kid is nice!" Sam exclaimed in surprise.

"Condescension noted." Deeks grinned.

Callen took a few steps and handed Sam his gun.

"It's for her protection, not mine. I'm still upset over her getting the dog in the settlement." Callen said walking a few more steps away.

"What's the distress word?" Sam asked.

"Buddy. I always loved that dog." Callen said shot Kensi a smile and headed towards the building.

* * *

Callen entered the recruitment center, finding Tracy there he needed to find out what she was up to. Having been informed by Eric that Tracy was being targeted by snipers, they got out and headed to the boatshed to await, Sam, Kensi and Deeks who had been chasing down a tip Tracy gave them on the group who was chasing her.

Sam walked into the boatshed, having seen Callen's getaway as a ZNN reporter, "Nice move. You run into any resistance?" He asked.

Callen shrugged, "Just from her; A little reluctant to give up her weapons." He said gesturing to a pile of weaponry on the table.

"You sure know how to pick 'em. She was right about one thing. Somebody wants to take her out." Sam looked at Tracy sitting in interrogation. "How do you want to handle it?" he asked.

Callen grinned. "Like a hostile divorce hearing."

Sam walked in with Callen following him, keeping his partner in-between them both.

"Last chance. You either tell us everything or we turn you over to the FBI." Sam said as he sat on the chair opposite.

Tracy crossed her arms, ignoring Sam she looked directly at G, "I already told you everything. I want my stuff back."

"You know, for a person with such a high IQ, you're not being very smart." Sam said, Callen still didn't say anything.

"Have it your way. Sam, call Agent White. Tell him where he can find her." Callen turned and walked to the door opening it and starting to leave the room.

Sam started dialing the FBI Agent's number.

"Wait. The FBI was running an undercover sting based on a tip that they received." Callen closed the door again, "But it was bigger than anyone realized. The Brotherhood was trying to buy a shipment of stolen Spike missiles from an arms dealer."

"James Thomas Mason." Sam said using the Intel he had acquired earlier.

"Mason acquired the Spikes, but he didn't have the computer-coded SIM cards needed to activate them. Without the SIM cards, the Spikes are useless. With them, they're worth millions…The agents running the sting pulled some strings to get the missing SIM cards. Plan was to sell them to Mason and retire with the money." Tracy said desperately.

"How many agents we talking about?" Sam asked.

"At least three." Tracy told Sam.

"And you know this how, Tracy?" Callen snapped at her.

Tracy glared at him but said nothing.

Callen smirked, "You know me. I will stay here all night."

"One of the agents was Walter Stone. My ex-partner. He engineered the whole thing." Tracy said

"Why didn't you tell us this...?" Callen asked annoyed.

In the other room Kensi was watching with Deeks on the monitor.

Kensi was immersed in her own thoughts when Deeks spoke.

"Hence the ten-year rule." Deeks said.

"Hmm?" Kensi asked as her thoughts were interrupted.

"You should always know your partner for at least ten years prior to marrying them. You date me for a decade; you deserve my hand in marriage." Deeks said with a grin.

"That sounds so much more like a punishment than a reward." Kensi laughed with her partner.

"How long was it before you…..ya know?" Deeks asked he didn't want to say the Marriage word incase Hetty was listening.

"Three months." Kensi admitted. "I found out I was pregnant."

"Still good?" he asked worried for his partner in this case.

Kensi smiled and looked at Tracy, "Yeah, we are still good. She's no threat," she said.

Deeks smiled glad that this hadn't upset his partner.

* * *

Callen put both hands on the table and faced Tracy.

"Did it just slip your mind to mention that your FBI boyfriend was involved in an illegal arms deal?" He asked her.

"Hey, I was trying to figure things out. I know how this looks. I just needed time to think." Tracy tried to touch him and he moved away.

"Where are the SIM cards now?" Callen asked as he looked at her.

"Walter had them. I found them in a warehouse they were using as a meeting place. As I was leaving, I was attacked and I had to shoot my way out. I didn't know who to trust, so I turned to you." Tracy said looking him straight in the eye.

"Need the names." Sam said.

Again Tracy sat back in the chair and crossed her arms defensively saying nothing.

"All night, Tracy." Callen sighed.

"Agent John White. He was the one who shut down the investigation into Walter's death." Tracy said.

"You got proof?" Callen snapped, it wasn't the first time she'd set up another Agent and he didn't trust her.

Tracy laughed, "My word isn't good enough for you?" she asked sarcastically knowing he didn't trust her an inch.

"White needs the SIM cards to complete the arms deal." Sam said.

"Where are they, Tracy?" Callen asked.

"They're in a safe place. They're the last bargaining chip I have, Callen." Tracy pleaded.

Sam tilted his head towards the door. He and Callen walked out of it and stood in the hallway.

"If White needs the SIM cards to complete the deal, why try to kill the one person who knows where they are?" Callen said, he didn't trust her at all.

"Assuming she's telling the truth, White either found the SIM cards, or he panicked and tried to take her out before she started talking." Sam said reasoning with him; they couldn't afford to not believe her.

Eric's voice interrupted over the earwigs. "Hey, you guys got a moment?" he asked.

"Little busy, Eric." Sam said and moved to the main room where Eric popped up on screen.

"You're gonna want to see this. I grabbed the security footage off...a database that you guys are better off not knowing about. It's taken from the roof opposite the recruitment center." Eric said.

Sam was still smarting over being accused of killing an LAPD sniper, he didn't want to revisit that issue again, but Kensi walked up to the screen.

"That's the LAPD sniper." They watched as the sniper aimed at the Navy Recruitment Center and they watched as someone walked behind the sniper and shot him, the camera zoomed on his face and they all saw who the killer really was.

"It's Agent White." Deeks exclaimed.

"She was telling the truth." She said to Callen who was thinking, she placed a hand on his arm to comfort him.

"That'd be a first." Sam snapped.

"Guys, hang on. White doesn't know we're on to him." Callen said thinking again.

"Need to draw him out. The code cards get us White." Sam said starting to follow Callen's train of thought.

"White gets us Mason, the arms dealer." Callen said.

"Mason gets us the missiles." Sam smiled.

Sam and Callen walked back into the interrogation room as Tracy paced up and down.

"Let's say we buy your story." Sam said skeptically.

"You have proof…Surveillance cameras." Tracy snapped.

"You're going to contact White. Tell him you have the code cards and you want to make a deal." Sam told her.

"Convince him you gave us the slip." Callen offered.

"Done." Tracy said instantly.

"And then you're going to tell us where the cards really are." Callen said with a smirk as he handed her the cell phone.

* * *

Callen groaned as he sat on the edge of the beach, waxing a surfboard as Tracy lay a hundred yards from him singing and looking out over the sea.

"I've been lonely," She sang, "For such a long, long time"

Deeks and Kensi looked up from the beach towel they were on listening to Tracy sing over the radio as Sam sat in the car park working on a motorbike.

"Tryin' to find someone…To call my own… Someone with sweet love and affection… To give my heart..."

"What is she singing?" Kensi asked annoyed with the sound of Tracy's voice.

"Our wedding song. Lee Williams and the Cymbals." Callen groaned.

"You got married to Lee Williams and the Cymbals?" Sam gave a small laugh.

"Hey, it was a fake wedding, okay?" Callen snapped. He felt bad as he hadn't had a reception in his real marriage and he knew even though she said nothing he had really wanted all that for Kensi.

"Getting pretty sunny out here. You want me to, uh...?" Deeks started.

"You can't put any sunscreen on me." Kensi snapped.

Callen's head shot round to look at them and he glared at Deeks. "Deeks." He growled in warning.

"How did you...?" Deeks asked shocked.

"Guys, heads up. Here comes White." Kensi said as he came over the dune on an ATV and came to a stop near Tracy who stood up to face him.

White glared at Tracy and pulled a gun on her. "Keep your hands where I can see 'em. You miked?" He asked.

"No." Tracy lied; White stepped up and started searching her.

"Wow. I usually only get to frisk, like, meth heads and dirty hookers!" Deeks exclaimed.

Kensi rolled her eyes at him and concentrated on the two of them.

"I've been going over this whole thing in my head." Tracy said trying to get White to talk.

"Get in the water. Now!" White ordered.

Tracy walked to the sea, and stood fully clothed in the water, White gestured her to squat down in the water, and Tracy rolled her eyes at him, but did it anyway.

Callen watched from the beach his gut churning.

"There goes her mike!" Sam said

"Yeah, but her hotness meter just went up, like, a bazillion points." Deeks said and both Kensi and Callen glared at him as Tracy walked back out of the water leaving her useless microphone floating in the sea.

"Do we have a laser mic?" Callen asked staring at the couple by the surf.

"It wouldn't work. Too much distortion from the crashing waves." Sam replied.

"Kensi, can you read 'em?" Callen asked hoping his wife's lip reading skills would help.

"I lost the visual. I'm moving in." Sam said pulling his gun and moving closer to Callen.

"You and Timmons killed Walter so you could keep the money." Tracy said accusingly to White.

White smiled, "It's an interesting theory. Actually, Timmons was next. You took care of that for me. It's too bad Walter never told you where we were meeting Mason. You could have retired in comfort. Where are the damn codes?"

He moved pointing his gun at Tracy's head; Callen, Kensi, Deeks and Sam grabbed their guns and rushed the couple.

"Federal agent!" Sam yelled.

White raised his gun and Sam shot him, as they moved in Tracy grabbed White's gun and looked him right in the eyes aiming the gun at him.

"No!" Callen shouted at her.

Tracy fired twice in the chest, dropped the weapon and raised her arm

"What the hell, Tracy?" Callen yelled at her as they surrounded her and the body.

"He killed an FBI agent and a cop. World's a better place." Tracy argued back.

"I disarmed him. There was no threat." Sam snapped.

"Walter said he always carried a backup in an ankle holster. You can believe what you want, but he was going for that gun." Tracy offered in her defense.

Kensi searched the body and looked at Callen showing him the gun; he nodded understanding that she had found the gun, but that she wasn't really sure that had really been Tracy's intention.

"You're wrong." Sam snapped.

Callen glared at her frustrated, "With White dead, there goes our meeting with the arms dealer."

"Maybe not." Tracy said she searched the body and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, "Here. San Pedro, container yard, 3:00. We've got an hour if you want to recover those missiles before they figure out how to use them on some federal building."

Callen turned to Sam, "We better hurry."

"Now that's the man I married!" Tracy smiled but took a step back at the nasty look Callen gave her.

"What do you have in mind?" Kensi asked seeing Callen get tense.

"We go in as Walter and Tracy." Callen said still glaring at Tracy.

"How do we know Mason hasn't already seen these guys?" Deeks asked worried.

"Walter said Mason was unpredictable. He didn't trust anyone. Identity was a concern, so they handled all communication electronically." Tracy said with absolute conviction.

"It's a risk we're going to have to take." Sam sighed.

"Works for me." Kensi said brightly trying to soften Callen's mood.

"Not you." Callen snapped staring at Tracy, "Just like old times."

* * *

Kensi stormed to the car, Tracy giving her a strange look as Callen ran off to drive with her.

"Deeks looks like you and Tracy are with me." Sam said.

Deeks sighed, "Again!" he grinned and held his arm out for Tracy, "Coming?" he asked.

"What's with them?" Tracy asked.

"Domestic." Deeks sighed and they headed to the boatshed.

"What?" Callen asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"What do you mean what?" Kensi said, "You are choosing to work with her over me?"

"I'm not choosing her over you Kens, I never would." He pulled over as Deeks, Sam and Tracy drove past. "I love you if this all goes wrong and I get hurt, Lena still has you." He said.

"She needs you too, you said that our being parents would never interfere with our work," Kensi said.

"It isn't." Callen turned to look at her.

"You can honestly say this isn't because of Lena?" Kensi asked.

Callen sighed, "I always think of Lena and you when we are on an op, but in this case, it is more because Tracy knows the merchandise and I know there is something going on there that she isn't telling us."

"You think she's playing us?" Kensi asked.

"I think there is more going on than she is saying." He admitted.

"Do you regret it?" Kensi asked suddenly.

"What?" Callen asked.

"Not having children with her, divorcing her?"

Callen grabbed her and kissed her, "Never, it was just a cover, the only thing I regret was losing the dog." He sighed and turned on the engine, "I loved that dog."

Kensi laughed as they drove off to the boatshed.

"OK I'll talk to Deeks you can deal with the Ex." She said.

* * *

Sitting on the table Kensi went over the layout of the container yard with Deeks.

"The service road from the south is the likeliest entry point. It runs parallel through the entire property." Kensi said to him.

"Okay. Fanning out from the east is gonna give us the best shot to cover the yard." Deeks looked out of the window and saw Callen putting on his jacket.

Callen looked at Tracy's naked back as she did up her dress and turned to him, Deeks moved to stand in the way of Kensi's view. "Hmm. It's a maze. A lot of pockets to cover, but it's possible." Kensi said pulling Deeks' attention back to her.

"It's fully operational."

Callen stared at Tracy remembering their time together; He turned and saw Kensi and Deeks staring at him. He looked away embarrassed and then they looked away as Callen grabbed a tablet and tested his mic.

"Testing. Testing."

"Care to help a girl out?" Tracy asked him, showing her naked back, Callen turned and slowly zips her dress up as Kensi and Deeks watch from the other room, Kensi's hands balled into fists and Deeks had his hand on her arm.

Sam walked in with a box in his hands, "The coded SIM cards to arm the missiles were where Tracy said they would be."

"Impressive." Kensi said with a slight sneer in her voice. Tracy looked at her questioningly.

"Now we just have to keep them out of Mason's hands." Sam said.

Tracy turned to Callen, "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, he looked to Kensi and then gave Tracy a short nod and they walked to the far end of the room.

Kensi walked over to Sam, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"You worry about Deeks…G's cool." Sam said looking over at her partner drooling at Tracy.

"What?...I'm cool, too!" Deeks exclaimed.

"I appreciate you trusting me back there." Tracy said quietly to Callen.

"That's what partners do." Callen replied flatly.

"I never stopped caring. I tried to reach you. You never let me explain." Tracy tried to explain.

"You made it pretty clear where your head and your heart were at." Callen told her.

"I was young...ambitious. I made a mistake. One that I regret." Tracy argued, hoping to melt his resolve.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Callen whispered, turning away from her. Her betrayal had hurt him deeply, but he was glad that he had found Kensi and she mattered to him more than anything.

Tracy reached up and put a hand on his neck and stroked his cheek.

"Remember when we used to talk about getting away from it all? Just you and me on some remote island..."

Callen grabbed her hand and moved it away from him, "Buddy hated the beach." He turned to the others, "Mason knows his stuff...restricted airspace, no surveillance...it's a virtual blind spot."

"Be sure to have some heavy-duty muscle backing him up." Kensi said looking over the maps again.

"He'll want to verify the codes work." Sam said.

"Which means the missiles will probably be someplace close." Deeks said.

"Nobody makes a move until we've confirmed he's got them." Callen ordered.

He moved to go and Sam stopped him, "We good?" Sam asked Callen about him and Kensi.

Callen nodded.

"Let's go, Tracy." Callen said and they headed for the car.

* * *

Dealing with Mason, went ok until he got the missile and went to fire a test one aiming it where Sam had taken position.

"I want to give this a real test." Mason said as he aimed at the container, Callen's heart jumped in his throat as he saw Sam's head move slightly. Tracy moved aside as Mason swung the launcher right past her.

Mason pulled the trigger and the container to the side of Sam exploded in a huge fireball, He ducked and covered his head as Kensi called from her position behind the containers, "Sam, what's going on?"

"I'm okay. Hold your position." Sam said quietly.

"You see that?" Mason laughed, "The containers on either side are barely charred. The targets vaporized!" he exclaimed.

"You happy? Would you like to do another million-dollar test?" Callen snapped at Mason as Tracy moved to stand beside him.

"Quite happy." Mason grinned. He typed his account number into a laptop. "I do hope Agent White is able to tie up his loose ends. Here you go." He showed them the screen that had the money transfers to the offshore accounts on it. "Money transferred to the agreed account. Pleasure doing business with you." He smiled.

Tracy walked over to him and handed him the SIM card box, "Likewise."

"You two make a cute couple. Oh, uh... let's just try one more, shall we?" Mason said as he took a random SIM out of the box and prepared to fire another round.

Callen leant over and whispered in Tracy's ear, "I switched out the SIM card for fake ones."

Mason turned to them, "Oh, dear. There seems to be a malfunction. I'm disappointed." He said as he aimed his gun at them.

"Federal agent!" Sam yelled.

The man fired at him, Sam shot him and the second man used two weapons to fire at Sam. Callen kicked him, he fell down, and Tracy kicked him, then he fainted.

Mason ran to his car and started to drive away

Both Callen and Sam shoot at it.

"Federal agent! Stop the car!" Kensi yelled raising her gun at Masons' car.

Mason backed up and turned the car around heading right for Callen and Sam.

"Tires or driver?" Callen said leveling his gun at the car.

"Tires." Sam said.

They both shot the tires out of the car and it swerved hitting a container. Deeks and Kensi caught up to them.

"Out of the car!" Sam yelled. "Put your hands behind your back!"

Deeks handcuffed him with a grin.

Tracy moved to the side, and walked over to where Callen was standing.

"So, what happens now?" Tracy asked.

"We try and recover the money." Callen said looking over at Kensi to make sure she was unharmed.

"Offshore account. Good luck with that. You have to let me walk away." Tracy argued moving into his line of sight.

Callen turned his attention to her, "You know I can't do that." He said.

"Come on. You got the missiles. I got closure. Not a bad settlement. I let you walk out of my life once. You owe me."She argued.

Callen nodded, she had let him go and to be honest she did want him gone.

He was amazed as Tracy leaned in and kissed him and then walked away.

Callen turned to find Deeks and Sam looking astonished and Kensi looking mad.

"Can't wait to hear Hetty's debriefing on this one." Sam said looked where Tracy had gone.

Callen sighed, "It's not Hetty I'm worried about." He admitted.

* * *

In the Grand Cayman Islands Tracy walked happily on her yacht, she'd called it Buddy hoping Callen would track her down and join her in the sun spending all the money, she knew if he came it would only be a matter of days now.

She stopped with a smile as Callen sat on the yacht drinking a beer.

"Never vacationed in the Caymans. Always working." He sighed taking a sip from his bottle.

"Working now?" Tracy asked waiting for him to say no and sweep her away as he had done all those years ago.

"Afraid so." He said standing next to a suitcase full of money.

"How?" Tracy asked. He had figured out that she was behind it all, yes she had left a trail to her whereabouts, but she thought she had covered up her own involvement in the crime.

"White's cell phone. The one you took off his body. We dusted it for prints. White's weren't on 'em, yours were. You switched them. We've been tracking you since you left the scene; just needed enough time for you to clear the cash." He said taking another sip.

"You know...I never did apologize for what happened." Tracy said sidling closer to him.

"Forget about it." Callen shrugged.

"When we tripped that alarm and you offered to hold the guards off, I thought we were on the same page." Tracy said

"So did I; why do you think I searched for you? I went in worried you were dead. Imagine my surprise to find you at the safe house, sipping tea." Callen snarked. He had thought he was over it, and he was but that had annoyed him.

"We both knew that that mission was bigger than either one of us." Tracy argued

"Not for me, it wasn't. I never would have left you." He admitted.

"It was the only way." Tracy countered.

"No, there's always another way." Callen told her, Kensi had taught him that.

"Well, I guess that's the difference between you and me…You know...we could start over. My real name is..."

"Rossetti." Sam countered as he walked out from inside the boat, "Nice boat."

Tracy looked on defeated, she knew then it was all over.

"You didn't think I'd keep my partner from a free trip to the Cayman Islands, did you?" Callen grinned as they both drank their beers.

"Callen, we could take him and try again?" Tracy went for a last ditched attempt.

Sam laughed, "G, I don't think your wife would like that."

Callen grinned, "I dunno, she didn't kill Tracy while she was in Los Angeles and Lena would love a holiday on a boat."

"Lena? You're married; you married a woman called Lena?" Tracy was almost laughing.

Callen's next words wiped the smile off her face. "I married Kensi, Essalina is our daughter…You see Tracy, you are not and never were the girl for me." He turned her around "Tracy Rossetti, your under arrest." He snapped the cuffs on her and waited as the local authorities took her away.

Sam watched as they drove off, he turned back to find Callen listening on the phone a contented expression on his face as he listened to Kensi talking to him and Lena singing happily in the background.

Yeah, Sam thought, his partner had married the right woman.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Kensi woke up aching; she had been aching most mornings since she had been blown up by a trap set by the Russian GRU other that damn book that Hetty had said didn't exist.

She was alone again. Callen had already left and gone into work. Things had been rocky for them since then, no…since before then when Tracy Rossetti had reemerged in Callen's life. Although he had said it was fine, twice they had made love and he had called her name. The last time, Kensi had called him out on it…Callen had insisted it was just an accident, although then he had intentionally put her in harm's way and allowed her to get kidnapped by the Russian GRU agents and was it her husband who made it to the room, putting his own life on the line to save her, no…it was her partner, Marty Deeks.

Marty Deeks who came around once a week at least while Callen was working on some project to spend time with her and Lena, Marty who didn't mind taking her car to work and leaving his at home so she fitted the child seat into his so they could swap cars and take Lena to the park, Deeks who was always available to talk.

She was rapidly developing feelings for her partner and she didn't like it.

* * *

Callen entered the gym, a cup of tea in his hand. He opened a cupboard and then opened a bottle in a disguised gas canister he looked at the bottle not noticing Deeks who looked mad and walked away, he then opened the bottle and poured it into his drink closed the bottle and placed it back in his hiding place when a voice made him jump.

"Do you think you're clever ...?" Hetty said, Callen jumped guiltily, "That you can read people? That you know things?"

Callen smirked to himself, she hadn't seen the bottle.

"Well, I'm an undercover agent for a highly respected federal agency, so ... I'm going to go with "yes." And I'm sorry about your syrup." He added, knowing she had caught him taking it earlier, if she had been referring to the tiny bottle of Russian Vodka he'd just poured in his cup, he knew she would call him out on it.

"What you so crassly referred to as my "syrup" ... is my Michoacán shade-grown agave nectar, my personal sweetener. But, however, it is not that which I refer to. I've just, uh, received copies of your Federal 360 coworker evaluations. Perfect scores in every category, for every coworker?"

Callen knew he had skimmed through them after Kensi had kicked him out the other night, he figured Hetty would be pleased he had given everyone a perfect score.

"What can I say? You run a tight ship." Callen shrugged his head still pounding and the tea with the vodka in so very, very close.

"You know what you-have to do with these. Redo 'em." Hetty ordered.

"I'll race you for it." Callen said as he pointed to the climbing wall, a thought ran through his head, 'are you out of your mind' but he continued to point anyway.

"You think you can win?" Hetty asked, he opened his hands submissively, "Just because you're ..."

"I did not say that!" Callen exclaimed

"Just because I'm ..." Hetty tried.

"I did not say that either." Callen argued.

"All right, let's do it. Come on, top of the wall." Hetty said, Callen put his cup back down and walked to the wall.

"Top of the wall!" Callen grinned he was glad he and Hetty had these times together, he actually wasn't thinking about Kensi.

"I have to, uh, warn you ... that if you indulge in this sort of frivolity and brinkmanship, and I win, I'm going to expect these tomorrow." She said waving the reports in front of him. She knew something was eating at him for him to revert to these tactics and she hoped he would talk to her soon.

"Deal." He agreed.

"Also, I need to tell you that I've had years of practice."

"You don't scare me." Callen said looking at the wall, it wavered in his vision, and he knew he was slightly hung over from last night. "Well, maybe a little bit." He admitted.

Hetty laughed. "I seem to recall a saying something like that to a Sherpa, just before I beat him to the Everest summit ... with a broken arm."

"You expect me to believe that?" Callen said incredulously, Hetty stared at him, "Okay, see; now you're bluffing."

Hetty turned to the wall, "On three. One ... two ..." Callen snatched the papers out of her hands, "Wise choice. And no ... I will not do this just for fun." She said pointing to the wall, she shot the gas canister a look making a mental note to talk to him about it later and left.

"I wasn't going to ask." Callen said to a now empty Gym.

"Ask what?" Sam said walking into the Gym and seeing his partner looking bewildered.

"Wait a minute. Was she bluffing?" he said aloud, although talking to himself looking up at the wall.

"Who?" Sam asked. 'Were they fighting again?' he wondered.

"She does this to me every time. She knows I think she's bluffing, Then she starts with these Yoda mind tricks ..." Callen was still talking to himself, looking between the papers and the wall.

"Did Callen sleep last night?" Sam asked Kensi who shrugged as Sam picked up a new weight.

"So That I don't take the challenge ..." Callen still wasn't focused on anyone else he took a sip of his tea, "which is what she wanted?"

"You didn't have him reading Hegel again, did you?" Sam asked Kensi who started kickboxing a bag.

"Wasn't me. I burned all my copies." Kensi said remembering the night he read that and was so confused the next day they didn't get anything done.

"Copies of what?" Deeks asked walking in carrying an oversized travel mug.

"Whoa, what are you drinking?" Kensi asked looking at the cup that was the same size as Lena's bunny.

"Coffee by the half gallon. I'm literally mainlining caffeine, 'cause it's much more effish. Yeah, that's an efficient way of saying "efficient." He grinned taking a huge gulp.

"So this is why I have to pull over every 20 minutes for you to pee?" Kensi laughed.

"It's a con!" Callen said finally looking at Sam and waving the papers in his hand. "No, it's a dual-con, that's what it is." He continued, Sam frowned at him but he was amused at his partner's apparent melt down.

Callen's phone rang, "That's exactly what it is." He said and picked up the phone, "Callen." He said in answer.

"Okay, what did I miss?" Deeks asked and Sam laughed.

"Hey, Rose." Callen said.

"I came back. I saw him and I ran." Rose rambled on the other end of the phone, Callen's expression changed to one of concern,

"Rose?"

"Oh, dear. Yeah?" She gasped.

"Rose, slow down." He said, she had been fine when he had left her apartment a few hours ago, and now she sounded decidedly off, the others turned to look at Callen.

"I, I, uh ... I, uh, yeah, uh ... Um, and I…" Rose let out a sob.

"We're coming." Callen said and closed the phone knowing she would be at the mortuary in the hospital.

* * *

As they arrived at the hospital, the body of Edgar, Rose's co-worker was being loaded onto a trolley and moved into a corridor.

Rose had hugged Callen as he arrived earning a look from his partner which he ignored. They turned and walked towards the crime scene.

"So, I was Trying to call you, he wouldn't stop talking. Oh, dear! I shouldn't say that now that he's dead. And right here! He didn't Have far to go." She looked over as they closed the body bag on Edgar.

"We're done." An officer told Sam who nodded.

"So, I was walking out, because in reception here is lousy, but ... I came back, I saw him…and I ran." Rose was still shaking and not caring that his partner was in the room he held Rose and turned her to face him.

"Rose! You need to listen to me." She nodded and looked at him, "They had a Plan. They had guns. You did the right thing."

She let a tear slide out and he brushed it away. "Did I? Then why do I feel so crummy?" She asked.

"Were you close, you and Edgar?" Sam asked shooting Callen a look.

"No. Not at all. That-that's the worst part. I barely knew him." She looked over at the photo of herself and Nate; she gave Callen a small smile remembering how last night they had sat and talked together, both missing the operational psychologist and reminiscing, "Nate always knew what to say. Not that you guys do, but ... you know."

Callen nodded, after last night he did know. "He's an operational psychologist. That's what he does for a living."

"I miss him." She said sadly.

"We all do." Sam replied.

"You said you were trying to call me?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I found a residue on the body, you know, the one that was stolen? And I recognized the naval signature: USN…US Navy. Nate and I talked about it once. Um, so when i saw it, I thought, "Do I know anyone in the navy?"

Callen smiled, "I may need to see a sample of that residue." He said.

"Of course." Rose said and went to the microscope and grabbed a slide.

"Coroner's van is missing. Eric's looking for it. These guys are good." Sam said quietly to Callen.

"Residue was on a stolen body with a naval signature? Does that sound normal to you?" he asked.

Sam shook his head, "No, it sounds Classified to me." He told him.

Callen gave Rose a final hug and turned and walked out of Autopsy with Sam.

"What's going on with you and Rose?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, we're just friends." Callen snapped.

"Yeah?" Sam said arching an eyebrow at his friend no believing him.

"Yeah, she misses Nate, and we talk sometimes…drink a bit, but mostly talk." Callen said walking a bit faster.

* * *

Kensi walked over to Deeks who was downloading the security footage.

"They waited for the guard to make his rounds, jimmied the door down the hall, walked right in, and walked out the same way." She told her partner.

"Okay, so  _ **that**_  is there." Deeks said showing her the footage, "We also have him on camera here, here and here. It's a closed loop DVR deck, aim its low resolution. They're wearing caps, and they are turned away from the camera. Wow. Bad guys, one; cops, zero. Downloading." He said showing her his phone; he looked over at the bodies wrapped in plastic. "Funny, isn't it? A thousand ways to die." He said.

"Only two ways to go, though: cremated or buried." Kensi said,

"Not me. I don't want to be buried, and I certainly do not want to be burned." He insisted.

"Oh, you will have to choose: casket or urn?" she told him with a small grin.

"No. I'm going for cryogenic suspension." Deeks said with a full on grin.

"Oh." Kensi said stunned.

"Mm-hmm. Frozen in a state of suspended animation, and then they can thaw me out, when they have the medical technology to bring me back." He grinned and she laughed.

"Can we keep you in the office? Ooh, with a little viewing window, like an aquarium. That'd be so cool."

"You mock me now. 20 years from now, I'm going to come back. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna marry your daughter."

Kensi shot him a look. "Oh?" the download ended and they went to join the others.

Deeks looked at Kensi who looked slightly hurt, "Oh! That is awkward." He said

"That is creepy!" she agreed.

"You know what I would love, though, is for you to be my mother-in-law. Think about that. 'Oh, Mrs. Callen, it's so good to see you. What a wonderful one-Piece jumpsuit you're wearing.'" He laughed.

"Just stop it. You're giving me nightmares." Kensi said, after the past few weeks the thought of being married to Callen for that long was scary.

"It's just me helping you with your walker to the early-bird special." Deeks quipped.

"Shut up." Kensi said as they reached the others.

"Hi." Deeks grinned at the other two.

"Anything on the Vic?" Sam asked.

"Ask Eddie Haskell." Kensi said gesturing to Deeks.

"Okay. I, uh, talked to LAPD, and they're more than happy to hand over the case. The report says it's a home invasion gone bad. Yusuf Afzal was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. He was hit, he fell, and then died." He said.

"And then half-autopsied." Kensi added.

"Then stolen. He had a bad day… for a dead guy." Callen gave his wife a half hearted smile which she ignored.

Sam looked down at his phone trying to ignore the tension.

"Eric found the van." He said.

"Kensi, take Beaver, here, and check it out, will you?" Callen said.

"Beaver? Really? Okay." Deeks followed Kensi as she strode out, "No, that's fine. Good, if we're going to do a nickname, maybe we should do something cool, right? Like Diesel? Or, D-Rock, D-Unit? Just think about it!"

"He's De-caf." Sam quipped at Callen as Deeks ran to catch up with Kensi.

Sam looked at the look on Callen's face, "Are you sure you two are alright?" he asked.

"Fine." Callen said and walked off.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi parked up near the Coroners van and walked towards it.

"That's not much of a plan. Steal a body, steal a van, drive four blocks, abandoned the van ... and this is completely nonsensical." Deeks said as he got out of the car.

"Seems to have worked for them. Looks like one of your jobs, Parking, Deeks." She said looking at the sloppy parking.

"That's one of the Reasons I Became a cop. You can literally park anywhere you want." Deeks told her with a wink.

"Seriously ... why did you become a cop?" Kensi asked.

"You mean, like, honestly?" Deeks asked surprised.

"No. Lie to me." Kensi said as she looked in the front of the empty van.

"I wanted to protect people ... you know? I wanted to do something that really made a difference in people's lives." He said deciding to tell her half the truth, the rest he didn't want to burden her with and he couldn't stand lying to her.

"That's really nice, Deeks." Kensi said shooting him a smile, his stomach did flip flops and he took it too far.

"That and I know how much girls love a guy in uniforms." He grinned as she rolled her eyes.

"Overrated." Kensi smiled.

"Really? Overrated? The whole uniform thing? You do not like that shiny badge? Those tight polyester pants?"

Kenai gulped at the thought of him in tight pants.

"Door, Deeks." She said focusing at the job in hand.

"One, two, three." Deeks said and he opened the door and saw a grenade pin clattering to the floor of the van.

"Bomb!" They ran as fast as they could both blown off their feet by the force of the blast.

Again Deeks was under her, reminding her of when he saved her from the laser filled room.

"Maybe they did have a plan." Deeks said looking in her beautiful mis-matched eyes.

Kensi sighed looking into his deep blue eyes, they were so unlike Callen's so full of concern and….was that…love?

"I…" she said.

Within seconds he was kissing her, he had no idea why, she was a married woman, married with a child and married to his team leader…but he couldn't help himself.

* * *

Back at Ops an hour later, Sam and Kensi are standing in front of the table, Deeks was behind the table and G was standing off to one side as Eric briefed them.

"What do we know about our stolen dead guy?" Callen asked Eric

"Yusuf Afzal, 36 years old, at Cal-west Hospital worked as a computer tech. No criminal record, nothing is Interpol, no watch lists, nothing. He was born here, never left the country. He's, like, the  _MOST_  boring guy in Venice." He said looking at the I.D on screen.

"And our body snatchers?" Callen asked.

Eric puts photos of the van on the screen.

"The bomb did a great job of destroying any traces of what they were doing. No visuals, no prints, no DNA, and we're still tracking down that navy residue that was found on Yusuf." Eric said.

Callen was tired and his head pounding, he scratched the back of his neck. "So why do you steal a dead body?" he asked.

"Proof of death." Kensi offered.

"Satanic ritual." Sam said

"Cannibalism." Deeks grinned. "... Just thinking outside the box."

"You need to get back in the box." Sam said.

"But why this one? Why this corpse? Why risk a murder conviction to steal it?"

"Maybe he's not Yusuf Afzal. Could be a cover." Kensi offered.

"We could run Yusuf's DNA, see if he's in the SOCOM database." Eric said looking at Callen who nodded.

"It's a long shot. If he's any kind of a jihadist, he'd be keeping a low profile." Callen said.

"He could have been a sleeper, either way below the radar or Yusuf has more secrets than we Realize." Sam said.

* * *

Walking up the path to Afzal's home Deeks turned to Kensi.

"All right, According To the LAPD crime report, neighbors yelling Heard, cam over, knocked on the door, the alarm company called Expired and 911 from the stoop."

"Quite a neighborhood watch." Kensi said, she took out the keys and opened the door.

"Report also says the perps escaped out the back. Case is cold from there." They walked in and a woman appeared.

"Oh, can I help you?" she asked surprised to see anyone there.

Kensi and Deeks were just as surprised, "can we help you carry, Yusuf's stuff to your car? 'Cause we're sort of wondering who you are." Deeks said his hand on his gun. The woman doesn't look threatening but in their line of work they couldn't afford to be complacent.

"And now I'm wondering who you are." The woman said suspiciously.

"We are investigating Yusuf's murder." Kensi said.

"Your turn." Deeks said.

"Larissa Bay, his girlfriend. I was just grabbing a few things of ours. You know memories. If you need it for evidence, take it." She said handing Kensi the albums.

"It's okay. Maybe you can tell us a little bit about Yusuf. Where'd you guys meet?" Kensi asked kindly and Larissa sat down.

"At the hospital. I'm the lead nurse on the pediatric floor. He was our computer tech. I think he crashed my server A few times just so he'd come by."

She showed Kensi a picture of her and Yusuf together.

"The old workplace romance trick." He said winking at Kensi.

"Sounds like you two were serious." Deeks said.

"I think we thought it was going to be. We were friends for years and started dating on Valentine's Day." She said sadly.

"The Police are calling this a home invasion." Deeks said looking through a pile of mail.

"Which is hard to believe; It's ridiculously safe ... people everywhere." Larissa said.

"Can you tell me about Yusuf's background? Where was he from? Was he religious?" Kensi asked.

"His Parents Fled Beirut in the '70s. They Were Muslim but not practicing."

"So is that how he came to have a non-observant girlfriend?" Deeks asked suspiciously.

"I celebrate Christmas with my dad and Seder with my mom, and Yusuf happily came to both." Larissa told him.

"Any chance that's not His real name, not His real background?" Deeks asked.

"Yusuf is not a closet or a radical militant, if that's what you're thinking. What he is completely all American." She said defending her man.

"I'm just saying people have that ability to hide aside of themselves."

"Does your partner hide anything from you?" Larissa snapped.

"Matter of fact, She Does, yeah." Deeks said and Kensi smiled. "She got a junk food Jones She Does not think I know about ... but I find the Twinkie wrappers stuffed between the car seats."

"That was one time on a stakeout." Kensi laughed

"If that was one time, there's like 12 in a box ..." Kensi interrupted him.

"The Police report says that you were working the night of Yusuf's death."

"You think I Had something to do with it?" Larissa asked stunned.

"Given the rocky family dynamic ... you know, you got different religions ... I think we're just saying ..."

"You're not hearing me. I loved Yusuf. After His shift, he'd suit up and go into the NICU with me to rock the babies. You have this all wrong."

"Evidently." Deeks said.

Outside Deeks turned to Kensi, "Well, if He went into the NICU, he cannot be all bad."

"So you believe her?" Kensi asked.

"I really wish somebody  _ **was**_  lying. Come on. I'll go buy you a Ding Dong." He smiled at her.

"Yummy." Kensi smiled and Deeks was surprised at the butterflies it caused in his stomach.

* * *

Nell and Sam had talked about the residue that they had found off the body and she told him about Overwatch. Within the hour Callen and Sam were meeting a man at the boatshed.

"Overwatch is a tagging detection system for use in counterinsurgency operations. Sensor platforms can track insurgents as they attempt to hide or retreat among the civilian population." Reardon said

"Right, how about you tell us what's not in the catalog description?" Callen snapped.

"Well, I can't get into specifics, with people like you, but the idea essentially is that you tag a guy with the residue, you can track him anywhere on the planet by satellite to within a yard away." Reardon said.

Callen scowled, at him, but Sam looked impressed.

"That's impressive." Sam told Reardon.

"You have no idea." Reardon typed on his I pad and put a map on the screen, "Special Ops started field testing last month in a single high conflict area war. Here's our first go." Red spots appeared on the screen.

"Kunduz." Sam said recognizing the area.

Reardon nodded, "Afghanistan. And here are the targets" the red spots appeared again, "And here is a tracking history." A trail of red lines appeared.

"How long does the residue last?" Callen asked.

"A few months, a few days. We give the residue the half-life we want." Reardon said.

"And it stays on?" Callen asked, even he was getting impressed.

"Clothes or skin. Let me show you." He put a metal box on the table. "You need steel wool or harsh chemicals to take it off, and that's assuming you know you've been tagged. This is inactive spray; it'll give you the idea." He sprayed himself on the shoulder, nothing appeared, he gave Callen a camera, "Here, see for yourself."

"Huh." On the screen over Callen's shoulder Sam could see a green mark on Reardon's shoulder.

"Have there been any problems?" Callen asked.

"Tracking is spotty indoors, and, uh, we had one incident involving a violent altercation where the residue actually transferred subjects, just once. The real issue is overloading ... the man-hours needed to analyze the data dump."

"So many suspects doing things, So many questionable data trails." Callen said.

"Exactly. I got to tell you, this is a game changer." Reardon said excited.

"But it's only as good as your human Intel. You have a target walk into a mosque really...? What do you know? He could be using the bathroom or selling a new cell phone up to the Imam."Sam argued, he hated it when anyone thought anything was infallible.

"Thanks to various concerns of a similar nature, we are limited to Kunduz. The geographic area is reasonably sized, so there are lots of people to track while we work out the bugs." Reardon said.

"Tell me how it ended up on Yusuf Afzal." Callen snapped.

"Who, as far as we can ascertain, has never been to Afghanistan." Sam added.

Reardon looked at the name and ID and typed it into his I pad, "Yusuf Afzal. He's not one of ours. We did not put it on him."

"So Who Did?" Sam asked.

"Access is highly restricted. The residue is not odd stored stateside. Bottom line, I have no idea." He admitted.

"Commander, can you bring up LA?" Callen asked.

"As I Said, there are no subjects stateside." Reardon objected.

"Humor me." Callen grinned.

Reardon sighed; there was no arguing with this agent, "We do not use this domestically." A map of Los Angeles appeared and hundreds of red spots appeared. "I don't understand. Okay, this ... it's got to be a glitch." He said looking stunned.

"Some glitch, 'cause it looks like someone is tracking Illegally Dozens of Americans." Sam snapped.

"Now there are Hundreds of Afghan terrorists roaming around LA." Callen sighed.

Reardon grabbed his phone and rang his superior, "Okay, got it." He said and cut the call.

"It's not a glitch?" Callen asked.

"No, it's not a glitch. The Pentagon just went on high alert. Software says it started about three weeks ago. 112 subjects-have-been tagged." He said.

"So who are they? Why is the navy tracking em?" Callen asked.

"It's not us! Our satellites are picking up the residue; the Overwatch software is recording and time-stamping it, the rest of the data has been encrypted we can't read anything." Reardon exclaimed.

"So basically somebody hijacked the world's most powerful tracking technology." Sam said

"Basically, yes." Reardon said annoyed.

Sam and G leant against the table as Eric and Nell briefed them on the Overwatch situation.

"We have not had any luck breaking the encryption. He's spoofing IP address His masking ... His real IP with a fake one. This guy is good." Eric told them.

"He also hacked the tasking of satellites to collect data over LA area." Nell told them

"Very good." Eric reiterated.

"And so why tag a hundred people in Los Angeles? And what's the connection to Yusuf?" Callen asked.

"What about the targets? Can we follow people home, check their work addresses, cross-check them that Way?" Sam suggested

Eric sighed, "The encryption makes the computer think they're all the same person, so we just see these icons pop up willy-nilly." Eric said gesturing to the red spots on the map.

"But we  _ **did**_ find a common vector ... Masjid Farook. It's a mosque in Westchester. On any given day, at afternoon prayer, you can get ten, 20, 50 targets." Nell said.

"So the hacker  _ **specifically**_  targeted this mosque." Callen asked her.

"Masjid Farook is not known to be a radical hot spot. The imam likes publicity, and there's the occasional fringe speaker, it's not considered a security risk." Sam said to them.

"Well, what about its members? Anybody on the watch list?" Callen asked.

"No one to set your heart racing." Eric informed them.

"I doubt whoever is behind this is going to get caught outside the mosque in a van with a pair of binoculars and adult diapers, although it would not hurt to have our own monitoring to cross-check." Nell said seriously.

Sam laughed.

"Eric, send the details to Kensi. Nell, that's a nice visual." Callen said flashing Nell a huge smile and she blushed as Sam and Callen left.

Eric sighed, as Nell turned to him, "I had another thought. It's a little out there. Okay, so this guy His spoofed IP address." She started.

"Yeah." Eric said as he was typing away.

"Now, he probably visits other sites from the same computer. Maybe sometimes he forgets and visits, I do not know, ESPN and His IP address spoofing is on and …" Nell started.

"And sometimes he visits and he is not spoofing ..." Eric interjected.

"Leaving the real IP address behind." Nell added.

"Now, that 'is very, very good." Eric said proudly.

Nell ducked her head and blushed and Eric laughed.

"So, by cross checking the exact page views with time of day, in the morning politics, cricket at night. And because people are painfully predictable in their internet browsing, I matched this spoofed IP address and this IP address." Eric said.

"Which is ... Brentstein & Associates, a small firm specializing in risk analysis ... We did it!" Nell exclaimed amazed as she and Eric high fived each other.

* * *

Kensi and Deeks sat in the car park of the Mosque and watched all the people passing by.

"She's tagged…So's he…" Kensi said looking at the family walking along.

Deeks watched a woman walk by pushing a child who was about the same age as Lena. "Have you talked to him…?" he asked.

"About?" Kensi asked looking through the camera.

"Look, something is going on, ever since Ross…"

"Don't say her name." Kensi spat. Deeks looked at her apologetically.

"Is he staying home nights?" Deeks asked.

Kensi looked intently at the camera trying to hide her tears, "No…not for a few nights, we've argued more too, not in front of Lena, he's still devoted to her, but…I think I'm pulling away." She admitted. She found herself reaching for his hand. He took it and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

"It'll be ok," Deeks said softly.

She turned to look at him "Marty…I…it's…" Deeks looked at her in the eyes.

"Kens…guy with a spray…" Deeks said softly looking over her shoulder.

"Huh?" Kensi said.

"Guy with a spray…" Deeks said again, Kensi looked through the camera.

"It's Overwatch." Kensi said and got out of the car to chase the man, who promptly got into a taxi.

* * *

Callen and Sam walked into the offices of Brentstein & Associates.

"It would take a warrant and a day and a half to identify which computer." Sam groaned looking at all the computers in the room.

"By Then, he'd have wiped His hard drive and been long gone."

"Empty office?" Sam suggested nodding towards an empty side room.

"Could access their employee list. Interference?" Callen suggested to Sam and connected his computer to his phone.

"We've got company." Sam whispered as a woman walked towards him.

"One more minute!" Callen hissed.

"Uh, excuse me?" Sam said drawing the woman's attention away from the office. "Could you help me out here?" He asked.

The woman stopped, and focused on him, "Depends on what you need?" she said.

Sam laughed, "You're funny. Uh, I'm looking for Alan. He's an accountant. I've decided I needed a numbers guy in my life. Am I on the right floor?" He asked.

"There's no Alan here, and we're not accountants. I'd suggest you try the directory in the lobby." She snapped.

"Oh, uh, wait. You know what? Maybe it wasn't Alan. Adam ... Alex ..." Sam said pretending to check his phone.

"You getting this, Eric?" Callen asked in a hushed voice.

"Got it. Running a broad-spectrum search." Eric's voice came clear through the earwig.

"Uh, Assan?" Sam asked.

"Nope." The woman snapped looking towards her office again.

Sam's phone chimed as a text from Callen appeared on the screen. 'Done. G.' it said.

"Great. Well, thank you." Sam said smiling,

"Okay." She said and turned to look at the office, Callen was hiding in.

"Oh, sorry. Sorry. One more thing." Sam said turning the woman back to face him as Callen walked out of the office.

"Um ... Yeah?" she snapped getting irritated.

"Do you have a restroom?" Sam asked as G walked past. "I... I have this condition." Sam said slightly embarrassed.

The woman pointed down the corridor and turned with a huff and walked into the office G vacated.

"Thank you." Sam said aloud and then dropped his voice, "Better have a plan G." he hissed.

Callen walked over to the Xerox machine and started copying blank sheets of paper, smiling as people walked past.

In Ops, Nell turned to Eric, "Hey, Eric. I think I got something." She said and threw a picture on the screen, "Hector Cage, Department of Homeland Security form. Worked on a bunch of boring stuff, boring stuff, and the early development team of USN6457. That's the code name for Overwatch." She said.

"Waiting, Eric." Callen said as he xeroxed more blank sheets of paper.

"This is your plan? I let you take lead, and ride shotgun, for this? Xeroxing blank pieces of paper?" Sam moaned.

Callen grinned, "People only see what they want to see." He said and he was right no one was taking any notice.

"Dumb luck club." Sam sighed,

"Callen, Sam, I think we got something. Hector Cage. He's an analyst. I'm sending you His picture now." Eric said.

Callen grinned as Eric sent the picture to his phone, "See? Good Plan."

Sam chuckled, "Dumb luck."

"Where's Hector's office?" Callen asked a woman who was passing, she pointed down the hall and Callen nodded to her, they walked down the hallway and arrived at Hector's office at the same time he arrived. They looked at the picture and Callen turned to him.

"Hector Cage? We'd like to ask you some questions." Callen said, Hector ran, jumped over a desk as Callen and Sam chased him. He runs to a door which opened suddenly and Hector was hit in the nose and fell down bleeding.

Kensi and Deeks stuck their head around the other side of the door.

"Whoa. What are you ...?" Deeks said looking at Hector on the ground.

"We found the guy." Callen said to Sam.

"Huh. So did we." Kensi replied.

"You gotta be more careful, Hector." Sam grinned as Hector let his head fall back onto the ground with a groan.

* * *

Hector sat dabbing his nose in the boathouse as Callen and Sam entered.

"Three years, Homeland Security department computer tech." Sam said looking at his file.

"I need a doctor." Cage said.

"You saw a doctor." Callen said sitting down across from him.

"I saw an EMT." Cage argued.

"You're fine. Got a clean bill of health. You can answer questions."

"Early development team, Overwatch. According to your boss, you had access to the prototype of the residue." Sam sat next to Callen, "Then You moved on to Brentstein & Associates, Where do you ..."

"Stochastic analysis of terrorist risk. Which means that I…" Cage started.

"Predict the chances of a random terrorist attack. Insurance companies love you guys." Sam smirked.

"Buildings are targets. Buildings need insurance. Who do you think should be paying for All That risk?" Cage snapped.

Kensi and Deeks were watching on the screen in the other room as Callen and Sam got to work.

"Let's get back to where you hacked into classified military software. One of the guys you tagged turned up dead.

Sam put Yusuf's picture on the table in front of Hector.

"Nice mosque." Sam laughed, "And his ID badge says he works at a hospital. That is a grade "A" soft target. Do you guys care at all if he espouses the destruction of America?"

"If we want your opinion, Hector, we'll visit your blog. Right now, we can focus on where you were two nights ago." Callen asked.

"I was at my computer at work, pulling an all-nighter. It can be verified by multiple surveillance cameras and people. Anything else, or ...?" Cage told them.

"That's a nice spray bottle." Callen put more pictures, this time of Cage spraying people on the desk. "Do you do that one at a time? That's a pretty time-consuming hobby." Cage looked shaky.

"You are dangerously underestimating the terrorist threat level. Privacy is history. International flights, gone. Five years, max. Three years out, we are all gonna be tagged and monitored, and every inch of every of border's gonna have a guy with a gun pointing out." Cage said defending himself.

"What a hopeful vision for the future." Sam said sarcastically.

"Is not random stochastic analysis about terrorism threats?" Callen asked.

"Yes." Cage said.

"How do you predict something that's random? I think your jobs making you crazy, Hector." Callen laughed.

"Crazier. What do you think your employers going to say when we tell 'em you've been breaching national security on company time?"

"You haven't broken the encryption." Cage said with a small smirk.

"Why do you say that?" Callen snapped.

"Would not be talking to me if you did. Just looking at the data points here, guys. You have a dead body, and you'd love to know where he's been. I guess this is the part where you make a deal with me for the encryption code." Cage said and Callen looked at Sam, he was right.

"The encryption codes you got from Hector Cage are working." Eric said a few minutes later.

"Eric, you've got everything we need is Yusuf." Sam said.

"All right, pulling it up now." Eric said pulling the information up.

"Hector's alibi checks out. The desktop cam matches the security cam, All which matches the coworkers' statements, and the footage is Stored off-site." Kensi said

Callen rolled his eyes, "These guys are paranoid… Seriously." He sighed.

* * *

In Ops Eric looked on the screen and jumped. The red dot that represented Yusuf Afzal was moving.

"Dead men don't walk?" Eric said turning to Nell.

"Not unless it's Halloween." Nell said looking at the red dot move.

"Maybe someone should tell Yusuf Afzal it's not Halloween." Eric said.

"Where does he think he's going?" Nell asked concerned.

"Calwest Hospital? What? Is he going back to work?"

In the boathouse Sam started as Eric's face appeared on screen, "What's going on, Eric?" He said quickly.

"According to Overwatch, Yusuf Afzal just entered the south entrance of Calwest Hospital. Maybe the residue transferred subjects?" Eric asked still not trusting what he was seeing.

"Maybe to his girlfriend?" Deeks offered.

"Now to the killer. Violent altercation?" Sam threw out there. But Callen shook his head.

"Maybe they're the same person. Eric, find Larissa Bay." He said and they headed for their cars.

The four of them entered Calwest Hospital together as Eric filled them in.

"Larissa Bay is scheduled to work today in the pediatric wing of the tower." He said over the earwig.

"Kensi, Deeks, take Pediatrics." Callen said and headed through the door as Kensi and Deeks headed for the elevator.

"Talk to us Eric." Sam said looking around.

"Looks like the target is headed for the North Wing. But I can't tell which floor. Looks like the third. No, no, no. The fourth. Tracking's kind of spotty indoors." Eric told them.

Kensi and Deeks entered Pediatrics.

"Deeks? Larissa just logged into her station on the pediatric floor. ID and fingerprints are a match." Nell said to him.

Deeks nodded to Kensi, "Ready?" He asked as he spotted Larissa in her office.

"Larissa? Put your hands where we can see 'em." Kensi said.

Larissa jumped. "What?"

"Guys, we got her." Deeks said.

Eric whispered to Nell, "Wait, the target's still in the North Wing, That's two wings away." Then he said aloud, "Kensi, Deeks, the target is not Larissa."

"What's going on? What is this?" Larissa continued looking at Deeks.

"Our mistake. You're not the one we're looking for." Deeks said apologetically stepping back.

"No kidding." Larissa said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry." Deeks said again.

Kensi turned and talked to Eric, "Eric, target status. Where is he?"

"The target is in the North Wing." Eric reaffirmed.

Callen and Sam got to the north wing and couldn't find anything.

"Okay, I've got you. Callen, Sam, you are almost there. Um, looks like the target is slowing down. Uh, room 420, room 422. Okay. He's stopping. At the end of this corridor, take a right." Eric said over the Comm.

"North Wing is Radiology. Yusuf Spent the last two weeks there doing a software overhaul." Nell informed the duo.

"Now what, Eric?" Sam huffed a little miffed.

"Go down this hallway. Make a right, then another right. The target's still stopped. You should have him." Eric informed them and they moved faster.

"Nurse Edna to Oncology. Nurse Edna to Oncology." A voice came over the loud speakers.

Sam and Callen looked down the hallway, no one was there.

"Talk to me, Eric. Wrong floor?" Callen asked worried.

"No. He's stopped. He's 20 feet in front of you." Eric insisted.

"No, he isn't." Callen said looking both ways up the hallway.

"Where is he, Eric?" Sam asked.

"You're ten feet away. You're five feet. Guys, you're right next to him!" Eric insisted, the red dot not moving.

"Air duct?" Callen looked at the ceiling.

Sam and Callen looked around and Sam looked at the trash can.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Sam said and opened the trash can with his pedal.

They looked in horror to see the head in the can.

"Looks like we were chasing Yusuf after all." Callen said.

"Eric, room 423 we need to get through this door…" Sam said looking at the door in front of him.

"I'm on it." Eric said turning to his computer.

Callen looked at the door. "They took the body for this iris scanner. It was all about getting through this door." He said

"Eric!" Sam snapped in frustration

"It's a secure hospital door that needs an iris scan. How easy do you want this to be?" Eric snapped back.

Callen leant forward and looked in the garbage bag and put his gun back in its holster.

"So, you're not thinking ...?" Sam started looking between Callen and the head

"We know one way in." Callen said.

"Oh, well, by all means, if you want to; I won't judge you." Sam said backing off from touching the head.

"It's Not Exactly the first choice." Callen said slipping on his gloves.

"Oh, so you want me to?" Sam said taking a step back.

"I didn't say that." Callen said opening the bag and looking at the head again, "Oh, boy." He stuck his hand in gingerly feeling around the head, suddenly the door beeped and unlocked. "Thank you, Eric!" He said totally relieved as he took his gun and he and Sam entered the room.

The room had been searched, there were broken pieces of glass on the floor, but Sam's attention was drawn to a small refrigerator in the corner.

"Eric, we-have an empty shelf; it has fluoro-dioxide glucose, Tositumomab ... and brachytherapy canisters. What are these?" Sam asked reading the list.

"They're radiopharmaceuticals; Guys, its nuclear medicine." Nell said as Callen looked at an Empty box with a radiation label on it that had contained brachytherapy canisters.

"If it was here, it's gone now." Callen said worried.

"Everything a terrorist needs to make a dirty bomb." Sam said.

* * *

Both Sam and G were nervous as they entered the mission, Sam for his family and Callen for Lena, he had considered calling Eva and having her take Lena out of town, but right now he knew that wouldn't help and Kensi would only get madder at him than she already was.

He looked up as he saw Deeks hurrying down the stairs.

"Hetty's talking to the FBI, CIA and Vance." Sam said.

"I alerted LAPD ... They were as obnoxious to me as always ... but they are all over it. Also, we got nothing from those videos hospital surveillance tapes." Deeks said catching up to them.

"Eric's monitoring the city's nuclear alert sensors." Kensi said shooting G a look and thinking about Lena's safety too.

"Do we know  _ **exactly**_  what was taken?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, four canisters of brachytherapy ... enough material to contaminate several city blocks, depending on which way the wind is blowing. Would cause mass casualties, end result, Thousands of people would get sick." Kensi said looked at Callen worried.

"That's not the real threat." Sam said ominously.

"The real threat ... is the first act of nuclear terrorism on American soil. If this happens, nothing will ever be the same." Hetty said appearing from around the corner.

Sam opened a metal suitcase, taking out radiation monitoring devices.

"Radiation pagers ... register nuclear material, in case we can get close enough." Sam said handing them out.

"It vibrates or beeps, depending on the setting." Hetty told them.

"Directional radiation detector. State-of-the art Geiger counter. This one has a mute button." Sam instructed.

"Oh, give that one to Deeks." Kensi grinned.

Eric called down from the balcony. "We got a hit ... a NEST sensor Went off on the ten." They all went up to Ops to get briefed.

"The NEST system ... AKA the Nuclear Emergency Support Team ... has sensors all across the country that go off when nuclear material passes by them." Eric told the team "Hospital's here and the sensors went off here and here." He told them showing them new red dots on the map.

"We confirmed the wavelength matched the missing material." Nell said

"Then, 12 minutes later, the sensor went off here and nothing since." Eric said

"Which puts us ... in Venice." Nell finished focusing the map on the area where the last NEST sensor was.

"Works for me." Sam said.

"Let's go." Callen said heading for the stairs.

* * *

They flanked the fresh produce market in Venice, holding their directional detectors as inconspicuously as possible.

"Well, you'd think somebody would do our national security a favor and leave some of these bags at home." Deeks said as they split up.

"I'm getting a low reading." Callen said looking at his detector.

"Me, too." Kensi replied

"I got something, and it's fluctuating. He must be moving through the crowd." Deeks said looking round.

"Sam, you getting anything?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, he's here. This might be a buy, G. Eric, you got eyes?" Sam asked.

"I got a traffic camera on the corner of the market on Main Street another, a little fuzzy, and an LAPD dash-cam sitting near the entrance." Eric told them.

Sam's detector beeped louder and faster.

"Sam, what do we got?" Kensi asked.

Sam looked up from his detector that was now so loud that others could hear it, A blond man noticed him and pushed another guy out of the way.

He took off running.

"Kensi, Deeks, watch the crowd!" Callen yelled and chased after the man with Sam.

"Got it." Deeks replied.

"Eric, do we have any other runners?" Kensi asked.

"I might have someone. Heading east on Main." Nell said watching the cameras

"I got him, on my 3:00 ... guy in a navy coat." Deeks started following the man who looked back, "He's going. He's going!" Deeks took off after the guy as Kensi followed.

She crossed the road; a car couldn't avoid her and hit her. She flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thud.

Deeks heard the commotion, "Kensi?!" He panted while chasing the guy.

"Go Deeks, Go…I got hit by a car, I'm good."

"Run it off Kens." Callen's voice came through the comms, "We gotta get 'em."

People gasped as Kensi got up, she shook her head and grunted and followed on after Deeks.

Deeks made it to one of the many bridges in Venice, he chased the man onto the bridge and tackled him, and the man fought back and tossed Deeks over his shoulder into the water. For a second, Deeks' face was full of fear as he looked up at the man to see him holding a gun on him; he thought of Kensi, her smile and realized he needed to fight, pulling his gun from under the water he shot the man dead as Kensi arrived at the bridge.

"Oh!" Deeks said in relief as Kensi lent him a hand to get out of the water.

"You okay?" She asked worried.

"Yeah. Your timing is fantastic. You recognize him?" He asked standing as the water dripped from him.

"He's one of the guys from the morgue." Kensi said.

They walked back to the car, Kensi trying not to check out the curves Deeks was sporting with the tight jean wet look.

She watched surreptitiously as Deeks took his shirt off and threw the wet one in his go-bag. She looked at his abs as he pulled a dry shirt over his body.

She moved towards him and handed him his jeans and he grinned at her.

Callen and Sam caught up to their man who had taken a woman hostage.

"Whoa! Easy." Sam said as he leveled his gun.

"Stay away!" The man yelled.

"Everybody get back! Everybody get back!" Sam yelled to the onlookers.

"I'll kill her, man!" The blond man threatened and the woman screamed.

"Calm down." Sam said moving out of the way as G gets his gun ready.

The woman was shaking.

"Calm down." Sam said and then ducked, "Take him, G." Callen let one bullet go from his gun; no more no less the man was dead before he hit the ground.

Callen checked the man's bag with his detector, "What are you thinking? Bomb?" Callen asked.

"Trigger, timer?" Sam guessed.

"The triggerman would have to be nearby." Callen said.

"Timer could go off anytime." Sam said, he was worried by the amount of people in the area, "We got to open it now."

"We could call the bomb squad." Callen offered.

"It's a thought." Sam admitted.

"They might take too long to get here." Callen mused aloud.

"Flip for it?" Sam offered. Before Lena was born Sam knew Callen would have gone after the bomb himself he was glad his agent was worried about his own mortality now.

"I was the one reaching for Yusuf's head." Callen argued.

"That head is looking pretty good right now." Sam said squatting down near the bags.

"Don't blow us up." Callen advised. Sam nodded and he looked in the box.

Sam looked worried; there are only 3 canisters instead of four.

"It's not a bomb." Sam said.

"He was here to sell it. The buyer was here ... somewhere." Callen said scanning the crowd but he knew it was a futile gesture.

Up in Ops Eric turned to the others.

"We identified the two men. Wendell Hertz and Jake Varley, both, Canadian, both, traffickers. Guns, cigarettes, prescription drugs." Eric said.

"Who graduated to dirty bombs." Sam said.

Eric nodded, "No known political affiliations. They seem to be in it for the money. Oh and ... Hertz had a PET scan at the Hospital Calwest same day Yusuf was updating the system software." He filled the team in.

"Orchestrated it to canvass the hospital. They were looking for somebody with access." Callen said.

"Maybe Yusuf thought he was vulnerable because he was a Muslim. Paid him a call to make a deal. He refused, and then it got deadly, then he came up with the brilliant idea of going to the morgue and stealing Yusuf's body." Sam said.

"What about the buyer?" Callen asked.

"Unfortunately, it's buyers. Several. We hacked into Hertz's voice mail and some encrypted emails." Eric said

"And?" Sam prompted

"We ran the voice mail through a beta of Shibboleth ... it's an accent ... and identifying one of the buyers cam up as mid-mountain regional." Nell told them.

"Homegrown terrorists." Sam said sadly.

"Surveillance cameras show anything?" Kensi asked.

"Nothing yet. We're running facial recognition on the lookey-loos, tracing license plates leaving the area. But we did find this?" Nell put some footage up on the screen with a small smirk. "It's a home security system on the canals."

They watched the footage of Deeks getting dumped in the canal.

"You got footage of my tackle and my sweet right hook?" Deeks grinned then his face fell as he watched himself get thrown in the water.

"Oh! No, no. Where-where's the footage of the fight?" Deeks asked

"This is all I got." Nell grinned.

The video played on a loop Deeks splashing into the water over and over again.

"Ow! Nice move, Diesel." Sam grinned.

"D-Unit in the water." Kensi grinned.

"Okay, that's hilarious. That's where I shot the guy. Where's the footage of the fight before this?" Deeks asked Nell, but she shook her head.

"Whoa! D-Rock in the water!" Sam laughed.

"You know where the footage is ... it's in here." Deeks pointed to his head. "You know what it is? Awesome. All right. I'm gonna go tell Hetty. Hetty?" Deeks walked out of the room with a grin. "Hetty?" He called again.

* * *

Callen walked into the coroner's office. Rose looked up and smiled. Callen showed her the picture of the man Deeks had killed.

"It could be him; I…I can't be sure." Rose said shaky.

"Well, He had this on him." Callen showed her the canister box.

"Wha ...?" Rose looked shocked.

"It's the makings of a dirty bomb." Callen said.

"Wow! I mean ... wow!" She looked shaky and Callen wrapped an arm around her.

"You should feel good." He said breathing in the scent of her hair.

"I do." Rose laughed nervously. "Hey, so, I took your advice ... I…I tried to contact his next of kin. Edgar, my co-worker who died?" she said

"Right." Callen said as Rose grabbed his hand.

"But He didn't seem to-have a next of kin ... uh, well, an unmarked grave, that just didn't seem right, Then I'm, like, is he an "RIP" kind of guy or more "In Loving Memory"? And I didn't have really anything to go on except that he really liked working here. So, I thought maybe he'd like to stay." She pulled Callen to a table with symbols of all the religions you could think of. "I thought I would cover all the bases, and Edgar can now be around the one spot I know he loved. Or liked. I think."

Callen smiled, Rose had a beautiful heart, "Rose ... Edgar Would Have loved this." He said

Rose laughed, "Thanks." She sighed as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her hair gently.

* * *

In the Gym a few hours later Callen found Hetty alone looking at the climbing wall, she had her bottle of syrup in her hand.

"That was not me." Callen said pointing at the bottle.

"I'm not accusing, I'm, uh, offering. Congratulations are in order." Hetty said.

"I'm not so sure about that. There are still a lot of loose ends. We do not know where the canister is, it's still missing." Callen reasoned.

"It'll turn up." Hetty said reassuringly.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Callen said.

"That, Mr. Callen, is tomorrow's work. Go get some rest." Hetty said and Callen nodded.

"Good night, Hetty." Callen said Hetty took a few steps and then turned. "Hey, Hetty?" He grinned.

She smiled and faced him, "No." she said

"You do not even know what I was ..." Callen started

"Absolutely not." Hetty said

"Did you check your in-box? I redid the evaluations." Callen said with a smirk.

"In That Case ..." She put the empty bottle down and turned to the wall. "Once."

"All right." Callen agreed.

"On the count of three. One ..." Hetty said

"Wait, wait. You haven't stretched out yet." Callen protested.

"Two ..." Hetty smirked.

"You haven't warmed up yet." Callen said again.

"Three!" she ran to the climbing wall and Callen threw his bag to the ground and ran after her.

"Damn it!" Callen said

Hetty smiled, "I told you I was good."

* * *

Deeks looked over at Kensi as she pulled up outside his place, "You wanna come in for coffee?" he asked.

Kensi looked at him, Eva had Lena for the night, Callen had made sure of that. Callen was working late again, which she highly doubted but couldn't argue with… "Sure." She said.

She followed Deeks up the stairs.

He opened the door, before he could think of anything else he had his arms around her and was kissing her passionately.

"Deeks." Kensi breathed.

He looked at her, "Are you good?" he asked hoping he hadn't overstepped the bounds.

She looked at him and without answering pulled him back in for a kiss.

 


	17. Chapter 17

"NO!" Deeks pushed himself away from Kensi and stepped back. She looked at the floor and then turned away from him.

"I...Deeks...I'm sorry..." she said a tear slipping from her eye.

"Why did you come here?" Deeks asked his voice horse.

"I...I was angry...at G, He's not been here...I mean he's been spending a lot of time talking to Rose and he...last time we...he called me Tracy." Kensi slumped on the couch looking totally bereft.

Deeks made two cups of coffee and handed one to her. "Kensi...I care about you, but I like Callen...I can't be with you, I can't break up your family, Lena needs to have two parents who love her not two parents who are sniping at each other and handing her off once a fortnight." He said.

"You kissed me first." Kensi said accusingly.

Deeks nodded, "That I did," He smiled, "You are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." He admitted. "But you are my friends wife, what you are Fern is my partner and I hope, despite this my best friend?" he asked.

Kensi gave a small smile and nodded.

She took a drink of her coffee and realized that her heart hurt at the thought of actually hurting Callen like she was going to do.

"Has your sitter got Lena?" Deeks asked.

Kensi nodded, "She's taken her for the night. G said he was working late, but I doubt he's still in the office."

Deeks took the cup and put it on the coffee table, "Go...Kens, Go and see him. Talk to him. You need this, you both need to get past this, those of us that know you're together...we can see how happy you are together, this isn't the end of the world Kens, think of it like an undercover assignment, we now know you can kiss me and it'll mean nothing if we have to do it on the job." He grinned and Kensi punched him in the arm.

Deeks watched as Kensi walked to the car with a huge smile on his face, as he closed the door the grin faltered. He would never tell her how much she had captured his heart or how much he had wished she had never stopped. But for her he would stay quiet on the sidelines and fight for her happiness.

Kensi pulled into the mission, it was quiet, it was after all after midnight, the only car she could see belonged to Callen.

* * *

Callen was in the Gym, putting liniment on his shoulder, Hetty was fast on that wall and there was no way he'd ever admit to anyone that she had beaten him.

Kensi walked up silently looking at the scars on her husband's back. A reminder of how close she had been to losing him and raising Lena on her own.

Something about yesterday's case was bugging her though and she needed to talk to him about it. She picked up the liniment and started rubbing it on his neck and shoulder.

"Did you cheat on me?" she asked.

Callen turned his head, "Kensi?" he asked, they never talked about stuff like this at work… _ **never**_.

"It's ok no one else is here, but I need to know, you spent last night with Rose…did you…did you sleep with her?" she asked the sadness coming off her in waves.

Callen dropped the shirt he had been holding and turned and pulled her into his arms, "God…NO!" he said wrapping her in his arms, "I was helping her, she missed Nate…I miss being able to talk to Nate…and…well It's been 2 months since Nate and Rose were together…Kensi…Rose is pregnant, with Nate's child. She was scared and afraid, so we talked."

Kensi stepped back, "but… ever since Tracy…you've been distant, you've been drinking…even at work. You don't think I didn't notice." She said looking at him her hands on her hips.

Callen slammed his shirt on the bench and turned to her, "For God sake Kens, and you think I haven't put up with the puppy dog eyes you've been giving Deeks all day!" he snapped.

"Yeah and Nate's been gone four months, so if Rose is pregnant WHO is the father?! YOU!" Kensi shouted.

Callen took another step back as Kensi screamed at him… "I…I…" He couldn't deny that he could be, after he had got back from the Caymens things had started to go rocky and there was that one night, he hadn't told her about, the one night when he and Rose had gotten so plastered that they both had no idea how they had ended up in bed together, although they had promised not to talk about it. "I don't know." He admitted.

* * *

"YOU DON'T KNOW." Kensi threw a punch at him tears rolling down her cheeks.

Callen slumped to the ground, "Don't leave me Kens…please…" he begged.

"What about Lena…remember her, your daughter…!" Kensi snapped.

"Daughter?" Hetty said having silently watched the couple have their fight.

Both of them snapped their heads around, "Hetty?" Callen said, he was sure she had gone home.

Hetty looked furious, "You have a daughter Mr. Callen." She said.

"We do." Callen said glaring daggers at Kensi, if she had kept this conversation at home, they wouldn't be here like this.

"WE?" Hetty voice dropped.

"Yes my wife and I have a child together," Callen snapped pulling on his t-shirt and standing in front of Kensi as if trying to protect her from Hetty's wrath.

"And how long have you both been married?"

"Three years." Kensi said not looking at the small woman.

"So…." Hetty said glaring daggers at them both, "Which one of you do I have transferred." She snapped and walked out.

Kensi looked horrified at Callen, if one of them got transferred, they could end up miles away from each other.

Callen's heart melted at the sight of his wife's distress. He walked towards her, "It'll be ok Kens…I know it will." He said, he knew he would…well he hoped he would be able to talk Hetty round.

"It'll be ok?" Kensi whispered her eyes red and her voice horse, "Hetty knows, I'm gonna be transferred because she won't transfer you…I'll have to leave…I'm not leaving Lena with you and Rose…" she turned and walked to the bullpen.

"KENSI!" He yelled running after her.

Sam had been called in early as had the team had had a hit on the missing Nuclear medicine canister, he caught Callen yelling and running after Kensi.

"G? What's wrong." Sam asked

"Hetty…Hetty knows…" Callen wrenched his arm away and caught up with Kensi in the bullpen.

* * *

"Kensi! You can't take Lena, I won't let you." Callen said oblivious to the fact that the rest of the team was walking into the building.

"Why not?" Kensi snapped, "You'll have your new kid…" she snapped.

"It isn't my child!" Callen snapped as Sam's face went dark.

"You don't know that," Kensi snapped back, "Besides now you've told Hetty we're married I'll have to leave anyway, so you can keep your bachelor pad Hetty got you and actually move your stuff there." She grabbed her bag and turned to see the others staring opened mouthed at her.

Sam pulled Callen over by the shoulder, "You had an affair?" he asked, "You cheated on Kensi?"

"I…I, yes..no… I don't know I was drunk…she was drunk and she's pregnant, but it might not be mine." Callen argued holding his hands up in his defense.

A resounding crack echoed across the floor as Sam punched Callen in the face.

"Who…Who did you cheat on Kensi with?" Sam yelled at him.

Callen looked at them all, there was no way he was telling Sam, if Rose was as he suspected carrying Nate's child then he wasn't getting her in trouble.

Everyone was looking at him like he was the bad guy, he sighed, this wasn't what he wanted, even Hetty was mad with him.

He grabbed his bag and stormed towards the door.

"Mr. Callen….Where are you going?" Hetty called.

"Give Kensi the job, I…I quit!" he dropped his gun on his desk and threw his badge at Kensi. He turned around and walked out of the door.

Kensi dissolved into sobs as Deeks caught her she collapsed. Eric and Nell looked uncomfortable and Sam stood his hands balled into fists.

* * *

Callen walked into his empty house, his eyes wet with unshed tears, this wasn't how it was supposed to be, he knew. He wanted to go home to curl into Kensi's arms to kiss her senseless, to prove that he wasn't the father of Rose's child, to make it all go back to how it had been a month ago.

He stood up ready to go back to her and grovel, do anything he needed to to get his wife and his child back into his life.

As he did a blinding pain shot through his head and he crumpled to the ground.

A blond haired Romanian man picked up the phone, "Your information was right, I have Callen." He smiled as he trussed him up and carried his unconscious form to the back of the car.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Kensi marched into Rose's office. "Where is he?" she snapped.

Rose looked up, "Kensi?" she looked confused.

"Callen walked out of the mission a week ago, I haven't seen him, he hasn't been home, so is he with you?"

Rose shook her head confused, "No…why would he be with me?" she asked confused.

"He's the father of your baby, isn't he?" Kensi growled looking at the bulge in her stomach.

"Wait? What? What! No!" Rose looked at her surprised. "Why…why do you think that?"

"He said he wasn't sure, you spent the night together and now you're pregnant."

"We spent the night together, but we didn't sleep together, I slept with Nate the night afterwards. Callen had been talking to me, waiting for Nate to turn up, he got drunk, spent the whole night talking about how much he loved you and Lena, He said he had upset you…said he had called you Tracy, felt bad, he hates her you know…Tracy that is, but she unsettled you and it stuck on him how he should have told you about her before you found out, like that. He got drunk and passed out on the bed; I had nowhere to sleep so I slept next to him. But honestly Kensi…Nothing happened."

"Nothing? So that's not Callen's child?" Kensi asked again.

"God! No! This is Nate's child." Rose said looking Kensi straight in the eye.

Kensi sagged forward and Rose caught her, "Are you ok?" she asked.

"You were my last hope, he hasn't been in touch, I didn't want to find him here with you, but no one has seen him and he hasn't even contacted Lena…"

"I wish I could help," Rose said.

Kensi smiled, "You have…knowing he didn't cheat on me helps so much."

"Had I known that he thought, even for a second that we had slept together. I would have told him…" Rose was totally shocked, she knew that up until the last week Callen had been there for her since she found out about the baby, he had sat up nights talking to her, listening to her talk about Nate, She had thought it was out of friendship for both her and Nate, now she knew it was guilt, he had thought it was his child.

* * *

Callen opened his eyes, another morning, he got up hauling the chains he was shackled in over to the open toilet in the room. He had been here six months now; he had long given up on anyone in his former team rescuing him. He knew when he stormed out of the mission that he had burned his bridges, but he thought that the team would have buried their animosity towards him and would have tried to find him.

Kensi had probably filed for divorce by now, and Lena…his little Lena…probably didn't even remember who he was. He closed his swollen eyes as a tear; one of many he had shed for the last few months escaped him.

His captors opened the small grill in the door, "Alimente…ce mananci acum," a gravelly voice came from the other side of the door.

Callen took the 'food' such as it was, it was a watery porridge, sloppy and grey but he ate it as fast as he could his stomach making a growling noise at the small amount of nourishment going into it.

He knew there were drugs in the food, he knew this, he had resisted for a week, a whole week until he was so hungry and thirsty that he couldn't help himself. No one had been in to see him, there was no window, just the voice in Romanian who gave him food and water, both drugged once a day and the toilet and the bare thin mattress next to the wall he was shackled too.

Today however was different, the door opened and bright light flooded in, Callen tried to stand firm but he squinted. "Finally…Room service." He quipped.

"You come with me." This man's voice was different, Callen couldn't see his face, but his voice sounded French.

The man unlocked his cuffs from the wall his hands were still bound, Callen's shirt; the same one he had worn on that fateful day was full of holes and tattered. He was taken into a room and shoved roughly into a chair.

"Who are they?" he said showing him a picture of Kensi and Deeks out walking with Lena.

"I don't know." Callen said his eyes drinking in the sight of his wife and little girl. She had gotten so big, she was holding Deeks' hand with no sign of the stroller she had been in a few months ago. Her bright eyes and happy smile melted his heart.

"So you don't mind if my men kill them."

"No!...Don't…I don't know who they are honestly, but that's a kid." Callen argued.

"I know you are NCIS Mr. Callen, I know that is your wife and daughter, I do not know, nor do I care who the man is, maybe someone your wife has chosen to replace you, what I want to know is where are the rest of the canisters, if you do not tell me, well, it would be a shame if that little girl didn't get to grow up." He threatened.

"What canisters?"

"We had some canisters of nuclear material, you confiscated 3 of them, now tell me, where does your little secretive band of agents keep their secrets."

Callen shook his head, "I don't know…" Callen snapped.

"You will tell me…and Mr. G. Callen… by the time I am finished you will help me get the items back…" he laughed and plunged a needle into Callen's neck, he focused on the face of his daughter until he passed out.

* * *

As they had, every morning for the past six months, the team came in, dropped off their bags and headed up to Ops.

This morning Sam was first, "Eric, anything?" he asked.

Eric shook his head, "Nothing." He said sadly, "How's Kensi today?" he asked.

"I saw her last night, she's pretty much the same, still blaming herself and blaming Hetty, I wish he would call," Sam was mad. Callen had quit in front of them and by the time that Sam had made it to his house to talk to him Callen had been gone.

They had looked for him for two months, no hits on his credit cards, no pictures of him on Kaleidoscope, nothing. As Hetty had said, Callen was adept at becoming a ghost, maybe he had just moved on.

Kensi had cried and screamed, in her heart she knew that wouldn't have happened, fight or no fight Callen wouldn't have left his daughter, or Rose's child if it were his and although she knew now that is wasn't his, she also knew he didn't know that. No…she was his wife and something was wrong and she knew it. She went about her job every day dealing with cases as they came in, Sam, team leader supported her as much as he could, but she still wouldn't talk to Hetty. Hetty had tried to get her to open up, she had even called Nate back to talk to her.

Kensi had her credentials changed to Kensi Callen, there was in her opinion no way there wasn't going to be a Callen at the office, and she wore her wedding ring openly now as if in defiance, a way to tell Hetty that even if she had driven him away he was still her husband and she loved him.

Hetty would drink her tea and watch the broken team from across the bullpen, she would check her contacts every day for signs of Callen, but after six months there was nothing. She worried that her actions on that day had lead to Callen doing something stupid to himself; she prayed that this time she was wrong and he was merely on a beach somewhere and licking his wounds.

* * *

He wished more than anything he could remember that night with Rose, he had woken up, both clothed he had to admit, wrapped around each other on Rose's bed, he hadn't wanted to bring it up with her and she hadn't talked to him about it. In fact she hadn't mentioned that he was or wasn't the father of her baby, but he didn't remember Nate being around at that time and he knew he had been there one night. He just wished his memory of that time wasn't so full of holes like Swiss cheese…mind you that wasn't all that was like Swiss cheese.

The Frenchman laughed again as the faces went round and around on the screen.

He looked at the people on the screen again…Sam…Kensi…Deeks…Nell…Eric...Hetty...Lena...Eva...his mind went round and round in circles trying to remember them.

He screamed as the fire of the drug the Frenchman placed in his system burned through his brain.

"They hurt you…they have what you need Callen, you need to get it." The Frenchman smiled, the scar on his face twisting evilly.

"I don't know who they are…" he croaked out…this time he was beginning to believe it…he was forgetting who they were…all except the child. Whenever he started to forget her, the frenchman reminded him.

"The child is yours, your little Essalina, your Lena…these people stole her, they stole her because you lost a canister, a canister that we needed, and it has medicine in that can cure her." The Frenchman said, gently wiping the sweat off his brow with a cold cloth.

"Why…why won't they help her?" Callen cried as the pain waved through him.

"Because…because you were their friend and you betrayed them, you double crossed them to work for me,"

"Why? Why would I do that?" Callen asked his brain pounding.

"Because, I am your father." Janvier smiled, his scar twisted again as Callen looked him in the eyes. Callen had destroyed his life a long time ago and he was hell bent to get his revenge on the man who cost him his face, he would destroy all that he loved and according to the Keelson file he had paid a lot of money for the two most important things he loved were his wife and daughter. And if that meant he could get his hand on the canister of Nuclear material that Isaac Sidarov was searching for and lose Callen everything he held dear, then it would be a plus. Also he found himself warming to the kid, not the Agent…but the man himself, stripped of his morality, The boy seemed to be a lot like the man Keelson had pegged in his files for the father.

"I wouldn't betray my country." Callen snapped sure that he wouldn't.

"It is not your country, I am French, your mother was Roma, you are French…Basque French and I work for ETA. The American's want us dead my son."

Callen's head shook in denial; this wasn't right, he wouldn't betray Hetty, never…wouldn't betray Kensi…or did he already?

Janvier injected him again and his head swam. "Sleep now my son, tomorrow we will talk more."

Callen's head slumped to one side and Janvier turned to the man behind him.

"Call Isaac, soon it will be time. and Vasilie, inform your cousin as promised the last Callen will soon be hers." Janvier said and turned his attention to the pictures on the screen.

Sam…Kensi…Deeks…Nell…Eric...Hetty...Lena...Eva... Soon they would be dead, the canister would be theirs and all by Callen's hand.

* * *

Translation.

Food… you eat now.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 

Kensi woke up early; it was Lena’s fifth birthday. She pulled her knees to her chin and sobbed for a moment, still missing her husband. She kissed the photo of him she had by the bed and whispered good morning to him, and grabbed her journal. This had become her ritual.  Where possible she wrote in it morning and night, telling him about her day, the new things Lena had done or said, she’d taken a picture, after the first month she had taken a picture a day of Lena, doing her hair and making her look pretty so G didn’t miss a single day of her life.

She went into the bathroom, wiped her face and showered quickly hearing Lena start to stir. She was finding it hard as a single parent.

She wrapped a towel around herself as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a second towel for her hair, she stopped as she walked in the bedroom and smiled, Lena, wearing her father’s blue shirts, was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her face a picture of concentration.

“Hey baby girl, what ya doing?” she asked

“Shh mommy, I’m thinking.” Lena said.

Kensi nodded and carried on drying her hair and got dressed.

“You finished thinking and ready to talk honey?” Kensi asked.

Lena opened her eye a crack and looked around, “Not yet mommy.” She said.

Kensi got Lena’s clothes out for the day and walked back into the bedroom.

“Lena, you gotta get dressed baby,”

“You’ll be late for school honey.” Kensi said.

Lena opened her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek, “its not fair mommy.” She cried.

Kensi gathered her baby up and hugged her, “What’s not fair Lena?” she asked.

“My teacher said I should make a wish for my birthday…and I wisheded real hard but it didn’t happen.” She said sobbing into her mother’s arms.

“What did you wish for baby?” Kensi asked her heart breaking for her child.

“I wisheded for daddy to be back home with us…does daddy not like us?” Lena asked.

“Daddy loves you very much and I know he wants more than anything to be here with you right now, but daddy’s working and can’t make it home.” Kensi said trying to explain to the now five-year-old why her father was not around.

“Andy says that my daddy is dead like his daddy…mommy is my daddy an angel?” Lena asked sniffing past her tears.

“No…your daddy isn’t dead, he is away, but he will come home one day.” Kensi kissed the little girl on the head and got her dressed and let out a deep breath as she heard Eva call from the living room.

“Where’s the birthday girl!” Eva’s voice called out.

Lena sat up a squirmed in her mother’s lap until Kensi let her down, “I’m here Auntie Eva…I’m this many now.” She ran out of the room holding up her hand showing all five fingers.

Kensi smiled as Lena’s squeal of delight was heard throughout the whole house.

She gave a deep sigh, “Please…come home G, we miss you.” She said softly to the picture of Callen and grabbed her bag following her daughter out of the room.

* * *

 

 

Callen woke up.  Janvier was in the room, his hand over the dish that held the syringe full of the drug Callen had been doped up with for months.

“Papa?” Callen said through the fog of his mind. His head hurt and like a dutiful father when Callen sat up Janvier handed him a small glass of water.

Janvier smiled, it was the first time Callen had called Janvier that, it was finally time.

“How are you feeling my son?” Janvier asked.

“Foggy…what happened?” Callen asked.

“You were injured, what do you remember?” Janvier asked prodding.

Callen sat up and looked around, “I had a team? I think…they worked with me…stole my…Lena…they found out about you and took my daughter?” Callen asked his mind still confused, “Is she ok?” he asked.

“I have had word from the woman who is in charge of the group, her name is Hetty Lange…do you remember that?” Callen nodded to Janvier’s question.

“Well, she has your daughter she’s still mad that you didn’t tell her you were my son, you kept it a secret from her.” Janvier continued.

Callen remembered her face, Hetty Lange, small and angry he had kept something a secret from her and she had been furious, she had mentioned something about his daughter and he remembered a huge fight and him leaving mad, calming down and going to get Lena…

“I remember Papa.” He said.

Janvier gave him a picture of Lena in her little pink dress taken that morning, “They sent us this, and it’s her birthday today.” He said running his finger over the picture looking every inch the grieving grandfather.

“Can I see?” Callen asked.

Janvier smiled, “Of course Cal.” He said

Callen looked at him something was wrong, “What?” he asked taking the picture.

“That is your name, Cal Janvier…” He said.

“I thought it was G. Callen…?” Callen said confused.

“That was the name they gave you when you were stolen from me at five years old.” Janvier told him.

Callen looked at him strangely, his brain was still foggy but things kept making sense. Janvier handed him a small brown book holding in a smile, the money he had paid Eugene Keelson was well worth it.

“It’s all the foster homes I ever lived in…” Callen said with awe in his voice.

“I kept track of you my son, but I could never get close enough to find you.” Janvier said his voice dripping with sadness.

“What did they do with my daughter?” Callen asked worried.

“One of your ex-coworkers a Kensi Blye has fostered her.” Janvier said, “She is accompanied by Agents all the time, they are hoping to lure you back from me.”

Callen looked confused, “Why?” he asked.

“They know you’re going to come back for her…they want to take me down…” Janvier said, “Hetty Lange has hated me ever since you were small, she killed your mother.”He said flatly.

“What?!” Callen was shocked, he had worked with Hetty he remembered good times with her, but not once had she mentioned that she knew his mother.”

“Your mother Clara worked with Hetty at the CIA. Your mother was on assignment in Romania. We met there and fell in love and we married; her father George Callen had enemies, enemies that Hetty was aware of.  She told them of your mother’s whereabouts and I found out, I was dealing with a crime family called Comescu, I didn’t know about their feud with your mother’s family son, I really didn’t…Clara talked to Hetty and mentioned the name. Hetty was mad, as Clara would not go back to the CIA; she had information that would incriminate her with that family, I don’t know what it is, Clara never told me.” He admitted sadly, “But they found out and as you were on the beach with your mother, they shot her, Hetty took you off the beach and back to America to train you, to make you a spy like your mother, to catch and kill me.”

“I couldn’t kill you!” Callen exclaimed looking at his father. “She won’t win, I will get that canister you need and rescue my daughter.”

Janvier smiled, “I will help you my son, and we will get our revenge against the woman who arranged for your mother’s death.”

Janvier held out an old photo of himself and Clara, it looked worn and tattered, and his father did not have the scar he had now. Both people in the photograph looked like they were in love and Janvier’s hand was over his mothers stomach.

“That was taken in 1969, you are in there too.” Janvier said pointing to Clara’s stomach, “Your mother was pregnant in it.” He smiled sadly.

Callen smiled, she pretty and the man in the picture was definitely Janvier, younger but definitely him.

He got up pulling his shirt on and standing up shakily.

“Let me help you son.” Janvier said helping Callen out of the room and down to the dining room.

Callen sat down and watched quietly as his father made him something to eat. He looked at the picture of his parents and his daughter, running a finger lightly over Lena’s picture.

“Don’t worry baby, Daddy’s coming.” He said softly.

Janvier put a bowl of broth in front of his ‘son’. “Eat this; you will need your strength up, if we are to rescue my granddaughter.” He said.

“And get revenge on Hetty, trust me when I’ve finished she will wish she had never met me.” Callen swore as Janvier smiled at the venom in his voice.

“Eat up, my son; we have a plane to catch.” Janvier said, it was a short flight from Mexico where they were to LAX but they needed to be in Los Angeles for the next stage of his plan.”

* * *

 

 

 

Kensi got into work as Deeks looked up from his desk. “Morning Mrs. C…” he grinned.

“Deeks.” Kensi grinned rolling her eyes.

“I got something for Lena.” Deeks said putting a wrapped package on her desk.

Kensi gave a small smile, “You ok?” Deeks asked as Sam arrived for work.

“Yeah…She’s five now, Callen should be here.” She said sadly, as she took the coffee that Sam handed her.

“Michelle is still planning that party for Lena, if you’re up for it.” Sam said.

Kensi nodded, “She’s looking forward to playing with your daughter later,” she admitted, “I had to call the school earlier; a kid at school told her that her daddy was dead and she was wishing for him to be there for her birthday.”

“Ouch.” Deeks said. “They gonna sort that out?” he asked.

“Yeah, they have a program for kids whose parents are in the military, they talk to the kids whose parents are deployed they know it’s not the same thing, but they think some parts of it should help Lena cope with her father’s absence.” Kensi told them.

“That’s good,” Sam said, “some of the schools around here have great programs, Rachel was in one when I was deployed, she was only six but it helped a lot.” He told her.

Kensi smiled. “I hope so.”

Hetty walked into the bullpen and they stopped to look at her, “Mrs. Callen, a word in my office please.”

Kensi shot the others a look and followed Hetty to her office.

Hetty gestured her to sit in the chair and Kensi did albeit reluctantly.

“I have some news and you need to be the first to hear it…” Hetty said.

Kensi looked up worried; the last thing she wanted to hear was we have found a body and that is what she was expecting.

“Mr. Callen has been captured on camera…this morning flying into LAX with an arms dealer, Marcel Janvier.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Kensi’s head shot up, “Are you sure it was him?” she asked.

In the last two and a half years since she had seen him, there had been numerous sightings and at first, they had chased down every lead. Some of those leads had been incredibly close-up pictures of Callen being taken from a van or car, under gunpoint or in chains between buildings. There was never any footage of the person who had taken him. A different man had been with him each time. After a year Kensi had stopped going with Sam, Deeks and Nell Jones, a System Analyst, who had worked her way up to Agent.  As they followed each lead, finding empty rooms hurt too much and having to go home to look Lena in the eyes, the eyes that looked so much like her father’s, was something she just didn’t have the strength to do anymore.

Hetty had sympathized and had given her as much leeway as possible to try and cope with the situation. She did this by giving her extra time where needed for Lena and understanding her need during the first year to ‘grieve’ for the loss of her husband. She knew he wasn’t dead, but his absence in her life was as keenly felt as if  was.

She and Eva had tried to keep things as normal as possible for Lena and although the child missed her father greatly, she had gained a whole new family of aunts and uncles, and after two years when Kensi finally relented and stopped blaming Hetty for Callen leaving, a Grandmother.

But this photo, which Hetty had gently placed in her hands, was the first piece of proof, actual definitive proof, that her husband G. Callen was alive.

Kensi couldn’t hold back the tears that fell at the sight of him. He was thinner, so much thinner that when she had last seen him. However, he looked _well._ But he wasn’t a captive?

“What the hell has he been doing?” Kensi asked Hetty, her voice a harsh whisper. “Is he undercover?” She wouldn’t put it past Hetty to tell her _now_ that Callen had been working undercover all this time.

“No. I honestly have no idea what he is up to,” Hetty told her, her face open and honest.

Sam’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and mouthed, _‘Michelle’_ to Deeks, then took the call.

“Hi honey,” he said with a small smile forming on his lips.

He stopped and went pale at what Michelle said to him.  “ _Callen_? Are you sure?” he asked gob smacked.

His stomach knotted at her response.

“Where is he?” Sam asked. His face clouded over as he strode towards to Hetty, “It’s for you… it’s Michelle.”

Hetty nodded to Kensi and took the phone, “Mrs. Hanna.” She listened as Michelle reiterated what she had told Sam.

“Is your information correct?” she asked her voice full of concern. “Very well.  I will inform the team but please allow us to deal with this first before you inform your superiors.” She stated.  Michelle caught the _I’m not asking”_ tone in Hetty’s voice.

Her shoulders relaxed a little as Michelle agreed.  She handed the phone back to Sam.

“Mr. Hanna I need your team in Ops.” Hetty said before she turned to head upstairs.

* * *

 

 

Callen threw his bag down in the hotel room and called out to his father, “I’m hitting the shower Papa. Can you order some food? I’m starving.”

“Sure son, anything specific you want?” Marcel replied.

Callen shook his head, “Food…just food.” He grinned and walked towards the bathroom.

He stood under the shower, the hot water feeling really good.  It had been six months since the morning that they had decided to try working together as a father and son team. It seemed on Cal Janvier’s part to be a pretty rock solid partnership - they made money dealing with traitors. This man was the father he wished he’d had growing up. Although he hadn’t gotten much of his memory back, there was more of it coming back each day.  Truth be told, most of it was what his father told him, but it was more than what he had before partnering up with him.

They had looked at pictures and plans and Cal had spent most of his free time working on how to free his baby girl from the woman who was pretending to be her mother. He had, strange dreams involving the woman, some really intimate and he wondered if it was just because she was beautiful.  Beautiful or not, she had taken his baby and would pay, as would that Hetty woman who had taken him from his father.

“Cal!” Marcel’s voice broke through his musings as he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself.

“Yeah?” he called back.

“Room service is here, it’s your order, so you tip them.” ~~~~

Mike Renko smiled at Janvier, “I don’t mind waiting.” ~~~~

“That’s good, my son won’t be long.” Marcel said before returning to his laptop.

Callen came out in a pair of pants and a light blue cotton shirt.  He glanced at the server who was patiently waiting for his tip.

“Thank you,” he said as he handed Mike a $20 bill.

Mike looked at him for a second, “Will there be anything else sir?” he asked.

Cal shook his head, “I don’t think so, Papa?” he asked.

Marcel shook his head, “No, you eat son. We have a meeting in a few hours and you need to be rested.”

Cal turned to Mike, “No we don’t need anything else. Thank you.” ~~~~

Mike walked out of the door and spoke into the empty corridor, “I made contact with Callen. There was no recognition in his face, and if he’s undercover he’s good.” ~~~~

Hetty’s voice came over the earwig. “Understood Mr. Renko and thank you. Stay close to Mr. Callen where you can, just in case.”

Mike walked to the elevator and pushed the down button.

* * *

 

 

In Ops Kensi had watched the exchange in shock. There hadn’t been a hint of recognition on her husband’s face as one of his best friends walked in the room.

“Is there any chance that man _is_ his father?” Kensi asked.

“I don’t know,” Hetty admitted. “I knew the name of his mother, but not the name of his father.”

“So _mayb_ e he’s found his father and is working with him now. It’s _possible,_ right?” Kensi watched the footage from the bug in the flowers that Renko had placed. Callen, freshly showered and looking relaxed, made her _very_ angry.

“Why hasn’t he contacted me?” she snapped. “Or at least Lena, he’s _not_ being held against his will.”

They watched as he ate his food and walked freely around the apartment.

Marcel picked up the phone and the group in Ops went silent as they listened in on Janvier’s call.

“Isaac, it’s Marcel…I am in Los Angeles with my son. Yes my son!” He snapped. Callen yawned and walked into the other room closing the doors behind him. “No Isaac, he’s not my son, but he doesn’t know that,” he whispered with a evil grin forming on his lips, “He’s got a plan for getting the Nuclear material we have been missing. We will meet for dinner in our hotel room.

The bug picked up Isaac’s voice as Marcel moved.

“Can’t. Have my girl Quinn with me. We’ll meet you in the restaurant. Safer and they do a really good steak.” Isaac’s voice carried around the room.

“Good. My son will be pleased to meet your Quinn. I hear she is a fiery lady.  I’ve been trying to get him to see some women since I got him back but he’s been reticent, something his holding him back.  If you don’t want to share your Quinn, maybe she has a _friend_?”

Isaac laughed, “Quinn’s only friend is her gun Marcel. We will meet you at 7pm.”

“You have what we need?” Marcel asked.

“I have the blueprints for the Office of Special Projects and Wood Green Elementary School.” Isaac replied with reassurance.

“Cal will want to be there when we do the school run, when is that planned?” Marcel asked.

“Tomorrow at lunchtime. I saw the child today. She is looking quite healthy. I have current photos for your son - if he wants them _.”_

“It is still a good plan Isaac. He gets us what we want. We kill anyone he has ever cared about _and then_ I kill his daughter in front of him.”  Marcel laughed as he hung up the phone.

In Ops Kensi went cold and collapsed against the table. “Hetty…they’re planning on killing Lena,” she said with horror etched over her face. G is with them _willingly._ He’s being played and doesn’t even know it!”

“We will keep your daughter safe Mrs. Callen, and we _will_ bring your husband back. I promise you that.” Hetty turned to Eric, “Call Mrs. Hanna and have her meet us here.”

Eric nodded and went to do as she asked.

“I have to call Eva and get Lena out of school; they need to go to a safe house,” Kensi said reaching for her phone.

“No! If we tip our hand now we may never get Mr. Callen back,” Hetty paused a moment before saying the next word, “Alive.”

 _“NO?”_ Kensi asked incredulously. You expect me to take my baby girl to school tomorrow and leave her to the mercy of that _man?_ ” she yelled pointing her finger at a picture of Janvier on the screen.

“I expect you to allow your sitter to collect Lena as she usually does and then your child will _suddenly_ have a fever tomorrow and you will have to keep her home.” ~~~~

“But Hetty, _if_ Callen is working with Janvier, then he knows where we live. Lena won’t be safe there and I don’t want to scare her.” Try as she might, Kensi couldn’t stop shaking.  She wanted to run to the school, grab Lena and keep running until she knew her baby was safe, but then she looked on at the hotel room camera as the door opened.

“Did Sidarov get the blueprints?” Callen asked as he walked out.

Marcel smiled, “Isaac will be bringing them tonight and he sent me this.” He handed Callen his phone and Callen’s face softened into the man that Kensi knew and loved as he viewed the photo of his daughter. ~~~~

“She’s beautiful,” Callen said looking at his child. Again, he racked his brains, but still nothing _._ “Papa?” he asked

Marcel smiled at his son, “It must be time for your medicine.” He took a black pouch from his case and in Ops Kensi watched amazed as Callen sat down and rolled up his sleeve.

He held his arm still as Marcel injected him with the medication, “Essalina, your daughter’s name is Essalina,” he reminded him as Callen leaned towards his father and Marcel embraced him.

His eyes fluttered, “Essalina….Kens…” he murmured as he fell asleep.

Marcel lifted Callen’s feet, put them on a footstool, and draped a blanket over his lap.

“Rest now son.” He smiled and walked over to his laptop. He had work to do and having Callen out cold right now was an advantage.

* * *

 

In Ops, Kensi had walked towards the sight of her sleeping husband and jumped as he whispered her name.

“I love you,” she breathed staring at the screen.

“Hetty we have to bring him in, I need to know what is going through his head.”

“Patience Mrs. Callen, we will apprehend him soon enough. I need to confer with Mrs. Hanna about Sidarov’s involvement in this matter _first_ as there may be forces at play that we do not know about right now.”

Kensi nodded, “I need him safe and I need him home Hetty. Can you promise me that?” she asked.

“I fully intend to see your family reunited,” Hetty said honestly and turned towards the door.

Hetty didn’t say anything to Kensi, but the lack of a reaction by Callen to the sight of Mike Renko worried her. Usually Callen would get a small smirk, imperceptible to anyone who didn’t know him, but to her, the small tell always rang out, and today it hadn’t been there.

She was concerned that whatever the drug was that Marcel Janvier was giving Callen, it was stopping him from remembering who he really was. If Callen wasn’t playing a role and really thought that Janvier was his father, ripping him away from all that could be more damaging than if he was merely undercover.

She also worried that if he really did not recognize the team; would they be in danger from him?  Was he was fixed with the single-minded determination to kidnap his own child?

She walked to her office and sipped a cup of tea.

“Oh Bugger,” she sighed.

 


	21. Chapter 21

Cal woke up and stretched, his father was sat in the room holding his medication. He opened an eye sleepily and groaned. He looked over at his father and the dreaded needle.

"Still?" he asked. "Surely I'm well enough to do without the vitamins now." He said.

Marcel smiled at his 'son'. "I wish it were so, but you were hurt badly by these people and you are still not well enough to do without your vitamin shots. And remember today is the day we get your daughter back."

Cal sat bolt upright in the bed, "Essalina….I remember her name." he smiled, "Papa I remembered." he noticed a dark look cross his father's face, "Did you not want me to remember?" he asked.

Marcel froze he had not meant for Callen to see that.

"Of course I want you to remember my son, I just fear that as you get your memories back, well, that not all of them are nice ones…Tell me my son, what do you remember."

"I remember…." Callen trailed off as he thought and focused on Essalina. "I remember a room…She's on the bed with something wrapped in white…a shoe…and …ew…she filled my shoe with toothpaste…someone else was there…I…I don't know but I remember Papa…Essalina filled my shoe with toothpaste, she was cleaning it." He smiled and tears of happiness fell down his face.

Despite his hatred for the man Marcel smiled, he remembered his own daughter at that age. "Yes you did something similar when you were a boy," he said.

Callen sat on the bed with his legs crossed, "Tell me!" he asked expectantly.

Marcel sat for an hour telling him stories of things he did as a child until he was five. Actually, they were Adeline's stories, but he turned them a bit from his daughter to fit his fake son. However, the light of a parents love was there and Cal was convinced he lapped them up.

By the time Marcel stood up and injected the 'medication' into his son, Cal was convinced, the little bit of nagging doubt he had woken up with was gone.

"So, What's the plan for today?" Callen asked as he grabbed his pants and shirt and pulled them on.

"We are meeting with Isaac Sidarov for breakfast, we were supposed to meet them for dinner last night, but the jet lag took you my son and you slept through the meal. He has information on your daughter and the other things that NCIS took from us."

"And I'll get them back." Cal finished with an evil smile.

Marcel nodded.

* * *

Walking into the restaurant Callen looked around, not sure what he was looking for but something set off his senses.

There were not many people in the restaurant, Isaac and Quinn were waiting for them at a table, and an old couple sat a few tables away having breakfast together. A middle aged couple with a six year old sat near the door and a young man with blond hair and a red headed short woman sat directly in Cal's line of sight, looking very much as if they belonged together.

Isaac stood up and extended his hand. "Isaac Sidarov, I have been looking forward to meeting you."

Callen took the hand and shook it, "Callen Janvier, Nice to meet you." He turned and looked at the dark woman at Sidarov's right.

Michelle smiled at him, but he showed no recognition, "Quinn," she said.

Callen looked her up and down, she was pretty, "Pleasure." He said kissing her hand.

Marcel looked at his son, "Cal…sit." He said.

"I'm sorry, my son is quiet the playboy." Marcel said shooting his son a look, Cal smirked back at him.

"Like my Papa, No?" he grinned.

Marcel smiled and nodded.

Isaac was amazed there was no residual doubt in Callen's face he one hundred per cent believed that Marcel Janvier was his father.

Quinn looked concerned, but only for a moment then she turned to gaze at Sidarov, to try to see what he was planning.

Isaac pulled a manila envelope out of his briefcase and handed it to Callen. "These were taken this morning, your daughter did not make it to school." He said as Callen looked at the pictures, "I called the school it seems your daughter has a stomach bug."

Callen looked at the pictures, "Essalina looks a lot bigger in these pictures, how old is she now?" he asked

"Five years-old." Marcel told him.

"Is the woman with her an agent?" Callen asked spitting on the word agent.

Isaac nodded, "Her name is Eva, we had done some checking she lives with another Agent, a Woman, Kensi Blye, I believe they are living as a couple."

Callen looked up at that, "And they have left a child there? No…They have left my child there." He growled. "We need to save her." He said his hand clenching on the knife in his hand at the table. Marcel covered his hand, "Cal…we will save her, and today. The only problem is that they have moved her to their headquarters."

"Where is that?" Callen asked.

"I don't know, but we have someone who does." Sidarov said.

Quinn suppressed a shudder; this was what she had been waiting for, ever since she had heard that Sam had been taken that night.

"When can we see him, are you sure he will give us the information?" Cal asked.

"He may need some persuading, but first we will eat."

* * *

Two hours later, they pulled up outside a warehouse and walked in to see two men guarding a room.

"Anything from our guest?" Sidarov asked.

The men shook their heads, "Nothing, he won't talk." One guard said.

Callen opened the door and saw Sam strapped to a chair, electrodes running around his chest, he was tired and sweating.

"G?" Sam said confused.

"Let me talk to him." Cal snarled.

Sidarov nodded as Michelle bit back a scream at the sight of her husband in so much pain.

As Callen walked into the room Sidarov turned to Janvier, "Are you sure he doesn't know who he is?"

Sam screamed as Callen cut him deep with a knife and Marcel smiled.

"I don't think so." He said.

"TELL ME!" Cal's voice floated through the door.

Sam couldn't take it anymore, and he knew that to get Callen back he needed to hear it, so he told him the address.

Callen threw the knife down and turned to Quinn, "You, woman…patch him up, I'm taking him along with us." He said.

Sidarov shot Janvier a look.

"Why bring him with us son?" Marcel asked.

"If they won't give me my daughter, I'm going to shoot their agent." Callen said coldly.

He walked over to the table and took his gun out of his jeans; he started cleaning his weapon as Quinn patched Sam up, "So Isaac…" Callen started as he took the magazine out of his gun, "Apart from getting my daughter, my father said that the NCIS agents have something you need?" he asked.

Isaac nodded, "Four canisters of nuclear material, they took it when they took your daughter." He admitted.

Cal looked over at him, "You making a bomb?" he asked.

Sidarov nodded, "I like to think of it as homemade protection."

Cal laughed, "Fine…just don't let it off near my kid."

"If everything works out alright, that won't matter; we will be far far away my son." Marcel told him.

* * *

Quinn walked past with the first aid kit and went into the room where Sam was slowly bleeding out on the floor.

"Sam?" she whispered, he opened a bloodshot eye.

"Michelle?" he groaned.

"Shhh Quinn, my name is Quinn."

"What?...Callen…He….he stabbed me?" Sam groaned.

"It's ok…he didn't do any permanent damage, you need to stay awake, you need to get him to Ops. Remember your mission, save Callen." She said as she patched him up.

"Love you…" Sam mumbled.

For a second her face softened and she stroked her husband's hand. "It'll be ok." She whispered at him.

"Save Callen." Sam said before he passed out.

* * *

Quinn stood and walked into the other room, "Your man is out cold, so you may want to wait a while, but he'll live." She said.

Sidarov gave her a curt nod, "Quinn I want you to go with Cal as back up, he may need an extra pair of hands." He said.

Quinn walked over to him and held him, kissing him softly. "Sure no problem," she grinned.

"If he turns, shoot him and then the child." Sidarov hissed in her ear.

"No problem." Quinn lied.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Callen stalked off to his room, holding the picture of Lena and checking his gun for the umpteenth time.

Janvier knocked on the door, "Son…your cousin is here…he has come to help," he said.

Marcel watched as doubt crossed his son's face for a moment.

"I do not remember having a cousin," Cal said to his father.

Marcel smiled, "On your mother's side of the family. Dracul Comescu has come to help rescue your daughter. They will arrange safe passage out of the country for you both." He stood aside and a blond haired man walked in.

"Cal!" He smiled as his arms opened wide, "I have missed you my cousin, welcome back."

Callen looked at him, "You are my cousin?" he asked taking a step back.

Dracul looked at Marcel with pretend confusion, "Uncle Marcel?"

Marcel smiled and patted Dracul on the back, "Cal does not remember that the American's hurt him. Son, your mother was Clara Comescu before she became my wife and she taught you the language you speak –Romani," he prompted.

"I do?"

"Fiul, discutați cu vărul tău, ai fost amândoi prieteni ca copii," Marcel said with a smile.

"Dar ... tata Eu nu vorbesc limba romani!" Callen protested and stopped as Marcel laughed.

"Fiul meu, Tu vorbești română, am sugera că pentru a opri americanilor ascultare în planurile tale, vorbești doar în acea limbă pe raid ... eu nu încredere deplină în acel Quinn," Marcel said to his son.

"You don't trust Quinn? But Isaac trusts her?" Callen said shocked.

"Isaac is a fool, you should only ever trust family," Marcel snapped back.

"But…" Callen's argument got cut off as Marcel backhanded his son. Callen glared at him but nodded as his father had gotten his point across again.

"WHO DO YOU TRUST?" Marcel screamed at his son.

"You papa, only you…" Callen said. He had no idea why he was cowering when flashes of him as child ran through his mind. They were of older men screaming at a small boy who was alone and scared. Unable to help himself, a few tears slipped out. "I am sorry papa. I forgot what the Americans did to me…I just remembered some of it."

* * *

Marcel stopped, walked over and stood in front of Callen a moment before pulling him into a hug, "I am sorry also my son. I forget sometimes that you didn't have the life you should have had when that Hetty woman stole you from me and killed your mother."

Callen looked confused, as something his father just said did not sit right with him. "You said Mother was killed by a Comescu?"

"I said nothing of the sort!" Marcel snapped at Callen. "I said Hetty killed your mother. Why would your mother be killed by her own family?"

Callen shook his head, "I don't know papa…I…I just think that maybe, I don't know something seems off."

"My son, the American's lied to you for years and it wasn't until I rescued you that you even knew something was wrong."

Callen looked down abashed, "I…"

"No, you listen to me son; I searched for you for years. Hetty changed your name and hid you in the system where you went through years of being controlled, abused and groomed for the job she wanted to do. I finally get you back and you start to not trust me….DO YOU WANT TO BE WITH THEM?" he yelled. "DO YOU WANT TO BE ALONE AGAIN?"

Callen shook his head, "I…no Papa, I don't. I'm sorry." He collapsed into the chair and Marcel sat next to it and held his son as he sobbed, "Please Papa, don't leave me again."

Marcel calmed him as he put the next injection into his son, "Shhh…it's ok Cal, you are wanted, and you are loved and you are home, do not forget that."

Callen lay against his father and as the drug did its work, he closed his eyes.

* * *

Dracul walked over to Marcel as Callen slept. "Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked.

Marcel nodded, "Yes, when Cal awakes you will meet up with Quinn, go to 'rescue' Essalina and on the way out, you can kill Quinn. We will take the canisters for ourselves and you may have Callen as promised. What you do with the child will be up to you  _and_  I trust this will clear our debt."

Dracul nodded, "Alexa is pleased with the plan." He also admitted, "The idea of raising a Callen brat and selling her on the market has some appeal to my mother."

Marcel nodded, and bent down to his bag, "Everything you will need is in here. If you manage to kill that diminutive operations manager then that would be a bonus."

Dracul laughed and poured himself a drink, "I am in awe of you Janvier as you have managed to pull off the con of the century."

"No…not yet. When I have the nuclear material and you have the Callen's, that is when I will have pulled it off."

* * *

Kensi sat in Ops with Lena napping on her lap.

"Is she ok?" Nell asked watching the child sleep.

"Yeah, I think so. She doesn't know her father is back so I sent Eva back to her apartment. She's grabbing some of Lena's things and is going to meet me at the boatshed.

"So you're not staying here?" Nell asked.

"I know Hetty means well, but I need to make sure Lena is safe." Kensi gulped as tears pricked her eyes, "I've asked Eva to take her away and not to let me know where they are for one month and then she will contact you and if it is safe, call me."

Nell looked shocked, "You're giving your child up?"

"Yes, to keep her safe."

Nell gave Kensi a hug, "You are brave and we'll do all we can to help." She walked over to a cupboard, typed a code into it and pulled out a spray. "I can tag her with overwatch if you want me too?" she offered.

Kensi shook her head, "If I know where she is, they may make me tell." The fear was evident in her voice.

Nell nodded and placed the small silver canister back in the case and locked it away again.

Kensi nodded up at the dark screen, "How is he?" she asked not wanting to use Callen's name in case Lena heard.

"He's good. There was an argument earlier but we couldn't understand the language. It wasn't Russian, maybe Eastern European. I was hoping that Hetty could translate it," Nell said.

Deeks walked in and looked at Kensi sitting with Lena on the chair.

"You guys ok?" he asked quietly so as not to wake the sleeping child.

Kensi nodded, "Yeah, I'm just spending some time with her before she goes with Eva."

"Eva is taking our little Lena for the weekend?" Deeks asked looking at the child who in the last few years had become the team's mascot.

Kensi shook her head sadly, "She's taking Lena for a month and if she manages to keep her safe then she'll contact me and hopefully this nightmare will be over."

Deeks looked at his partner as she was kissing Lena's head and breathing in the child's scent as if she were never going to see her again. "Hey, Kens… it'll be ok. You wait and see, you'll be tucking in the little munchkin in her own bed before you know it," he said optimistically.

Kensi just hugged Lena tighter when the child woke and yawned, "Mommy you're squishing me!" she complained.

Kensi smiled. "I'm sorry baby," she said and loosened her grip a little.

"Uncle Marty!" Lena looked up and smiled at him, "I'm going on holiday with Eva today."

"That's nice munchkin. You'll be good for her won't you?" he asked.

Lena nodded. Eva had promised to take her to Disneyland for a week and then on a long driving holiday so she could take pictures with her new camera.

Lena bounced off her mother's lap. "Can I go and see Uncle Sam?" she asked.

Kensi nodded, "Don't go anywhere other than the bullpen ok?"

Lena nodded and skipped out of Ops, her call of "Uncle Sam!" being heard by nearly everyone in the building.

Kensi smiled apologetically to one of the support staff that had been startled by the noise.

"So what's really going on?" Deeks asked Nell.

"We had some audio from earlier, unfortunately we have lost the camera in the room." Nell further explained, "We don't think it has been discovered, just covered," she said showing the light blue hue that came from where the camera had been placed in Callen's room.

Kensi smiled. "His boxers. He wasn't really very tidy  _until_ we got married and had a place to call home," she said her voice cracking on the last word. Deeks placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"So what did you get audio wise?" Deeks asked.

"Nothing in English," Nell said showing him the transcript, not wanting to play the audio in case Lena heard her father's voice.

Deeks looked at it, "It's Romanian."

Shocked, they both looked at him and in unison said, " _WHAT_?"

Deeks smiled weakly, "With the number of languages you all speak, I thought I'd learn one that you don't," he admitted.

* * *

Translations.

Son talk to your cousin, you were both friends as children.

But dad, I don't speak Romani

My son, you are speaking Romanian and I suggest that to fool the Americans you talk in that language only on the raid. I do not fully trust that Quinn.

 


	23. Chapter 23

"What do you mean you speak Romanian?" Kensi snapped.

Deeks' answer was pulled up short by Lena's tear stained face as she went into Ops, "Mommy…I can't find Uncle Sam, has he gone like Daddy?" she asked.

Kensi knelt down and looked over at Deeks. "Sam's not back?" she asked.

Deeks shook his head, "Hetty didn't want to tell you that Sam went on a mission to get information on  _someone_ ," he said, hoping Kensi would get that he was talking about Callen. She nodded and he continued, "Well we haven't heard from him since the day before yesterday, but we aren't worried - _yet._ "

"Uncle Marty…Is Uncle Sam coming home soon?" Lena asked.

"I should think so sweetie. He's just a bit busy. Have you been to see Grandma Hetty yet? I hear she's got a new bag of Tootsie Pops," Deeks said with a grin.

"Why thank you Mr. Deeks. You are as usual, correct. Now Essalina, if your mother says its ok, you can come have a Tootsie Pop and tea with me."

"Cherry?" she asked with a big smile.

Hetty smiled. " _So like her father,"_  she thought. "Yes, Miss Callen, all of them are Cherry flavored."

Kensi nodded, grateful for the out. Lena grabbed Hetty's hand and they headed to her office.

"So Romanian?" Kensi prodded again.

"It was the only language that I could think of that no one else around here speaks," Deeks replied.

Nell grinned, "Callen speaks it."

Deeks rolled his eyes and sighed, "Apparently."

"It's good Deeks, you're bettering yourself…you never know when it'll come in handy," Kensi said with a grin.

Deeks gave both girls a bow and turned around, "That's me…small and handy….no…NO!….wait…I…." He sighed dramatically as Kensi and Nell fell about laughing. As he turned the corner, he couldn't help but smile knowing that he'd made them both laugh.

* * *

Callen and Dracul opened the door to the van and as Quinn watched, they threw Sam in the back.

"Get in with him," Callen ordered Quinn.

Quinn shot him a nasty look but climbed in anyway.

After Dracul got in the front seat, Callen turned and pulled his gun on Sam, "Address,  _now_!" he growled.

"You have the address," Sam groaned.

Callen smiled, "Now you're sure that was the truth?" he asked.

Sam nodded, "Yes…God…Yes…please…let me go."

Callen's sinister laugh filled the vehicle, "As soon as I get my daughter  _and_  the things you stole from my father, I'll let you go." He turned back to face Dracul, "I don't know how I know but he  _is_  telling the truth."

Dracul nodded in agreement and they headed to the mission.

Quinn sat in the back, her hand brushing Sam's thigh to let him know she was there. He looked dazed and that worried her.

"Are you ready for this cousin?" Dracul asked.

Cal nodded, "Of course. Papa will meet us afterwards, Lena and I will get on a plane and you and papa will have the canisters to do with as you wish."

Dracul smiled, knowing that Callen himself would never make it out of the country.

As Dracul drove on, Callen laid back and closed his eyes. The little girl and shadowy figure filled his thoughts. He still didn't know who she was but it was a  _she_  and most definitely called to him in his dreams.

They pulled up around the corner from the mission. "OUT!" Dracul snapped at Sam and Quinn.

Callen pulled his gun and handed the semi automatic to Dracul.

"Get us in there!" Callen barked.

Sam shook his head, "No!"

Callen moved behind him and grabbed Quinn around the neck placing the gun at her temple. "I don't know why, but she loves you. I saw the looks and touches you two have been giving each other. If you don't get us in there I'm gonna plaster her brains all over you."

"G…NO!" Sam begged.

"That's not my name…it is what that murdering witch called me!" Callen shook his head. This building was setting off all sorts of alarms in his head. He knew this place and it unsettled him. "My name is Cal Janvier."

"No it's not. It's….NO! STOP. WAIT." Sam raised his hands as Callen's finger moved on the trigger. "Ok, you win. We'll go inside."

* * *

Sam opened the door and his heart dropped as he heard Lena's excited squeal, "But I had two!" she laughed as he walked down the corridor.

Deeks stopped on the stairs as he saw Sam coming down the corridor. The look from the usual confident brown eyes that Deeks was accustomed to was now one of panic.

Just as Deeks was about to send an agent in distress code, Dracul sprayed the ceiling with gunfire.

"EVERYONE STAY JUST WHERE YOU ARE AND NO ONE WILL GET HURT," Callen directed, his clipped accent reverberating in the sudden silence.

In Ops Kensi's heart dropped. He was here already and Lena was away from her, downstairs.

Her dark, fear filled eyes met Nell's concerned hazel ones. The silent communication between the two women conveyed what needed to be done. Pulling their weapons, Kensi from her back holster and Nell from the top drawer of her desk, Kensi led the way out of OPS stilling their movements on the other side of the doorway.

There, at the end of her sightline, Kensi could see down past the staircase and to the man she (still) called her husband. Kensi's eyes went wide when she got the first look in years, at her husband. He was thinner than when she had last seen him and the look in his blue eyes was that of haunted one. The visible scars on his skin paled in comparison to the look in the eyes she once could have stared at for hours.

* * *

"DADDY!" Lena called running towards her father.

Callen dropped to his knees and held out his arms, "Come here baby, you're safe now." He scooped her up and held her tightly for a moment as Kensi, Nell and Deeks took the stairs two at time to the bottom, guns aimed at the man who had ventured to the other side of the law.

"G…please let her go," Kensi said her hand shaking as she skidded to a stop near her husband.

"You don't get to keep my daughter anymore Agent Blye," Callen said with a cold look on his face. He handed his daughter to Quinn and pulled his own gun.

"G…" Kensi's voice shook, "Don't take her…don't go…please…don't leave us again," she begged.

Callen looked at her, " _Us_?" he asked.

" _Nu ascultă la vărul ei, ea este încurcați cu mintea voastră._ " Dracul hissed and Callen nodded.

"He's lying!" Deeks yelled. "Kensi is not messing with your mind, she loves you and her daughter."

Callen shook his head as a few stray thoughts passed through his mind.

"I want the canisters you have in storage, the nuclear material." His voice sounded like a pre-programmed robot.

"I'm afraid we can't give you that Mr. Callen," Hetty said as she rounded the corner.

Callen shifted his stance, "Henrietta Lange. My father told me about you." His voice was cold and angry.

"I'm sure he did. Would you talk with me Mr. Callen?" she asked.

Callen looked confused for a second and then shook his head, "No…You killed my mother. You kidnapped me and then stole my child. Why the hell would I listen to anything you have to say?"

"Because you  _disappeared._  We did not kidnap you nor did we  _steal_ your daughter. She has been safe with her mother, here, all of this time," Hetty informed him.

Callen's hand waivered as she told him that her mother was here. "Who…who is her mother?" he shook his head, "No…you're lying, my father told me _you_  killed Lena's mother."

Lena looked over at Kensi, "Mommy?" she asked, she wasn't sure what was going on but she knew something was wrong."

She wiggled in Michelle's arms. "Stay still baby," Michelle whispered in her ear

Lena did as she was told. She wasn't sure what was going on but she trusted her Aunty Michelle completely.

* * *

Callen looked at his daughter who was looking at the two who women were standing at the bottom of the stairs -Agent Blye and a smaller, red headed woman.

"Which one of you lied and told my daughter you are her mother?" he snapped.

"I didn't lie. I am her mother and  _your_  wife," Kensi said bravely. She walked towards him, placing her gun on a desk she passed. "I can prove it."

Cal looked at her, "I know your mind games Agent Blye. My father told me all about you. How you don't even like men," he spat. "You are living with a woman called Eva. You are corrupting  _my_  child."

"Eva is  _our_  child-minder. She lives down the block, you bought her an apartment." Kensi turned away from him ignoring the fact that he had a gun and pulled a folder out of her desk drawer. "You don't believe me? Then believe  _this_!" she exclaimed handing him an envelope. "It's our marriage certificate and photos of our life together."

Cal dropped the envelope on the floor, "No…you are trying to trick me. I just want the canisters and my daughter. The moment we are away from you, everything will be fine."

"No it won't," Deeks snapped. He moved to stand next to Kensi, "Your 'father' is not your father. Janvier sold you and your daughter to the Comescu's who are your family's enemy. I can prove it; you just have to listen, Cal." He used the name Janvier gave him.

Callen looked at him confused, "Why do you not call me G like the rest of them?" he asked.

"Would you listen to me if I did?" Deeks asked.

Cal shook his head.

"I have a recording of you, Dracul and Janvier. You only heard part of the conversation and I think you need to hear this, the unedited version. You can listen to the whole thing to prove it. Dracul intends to kill you, sell your daughter and Janvier will sell the canisters and the only losers in this will be you, and your family," Deeks said looking him in the eye.

Callen shook his head, "You are lying."

"Try me," Deeks replied, his face straight.

Dracul stepped beside Callen, "Do not listen to their lies cousin. Let's just get the canisters, your daughter and get out of here."

"No!" Callen shouted. "No…I need to…Hetty, she killed my mother and she must pay."

"So shoot her. We get the canisters, you shoot her and we leave." Dracul said as though it was something that happened every day.

"Oh Mr. Comescu, do you really think it's that easy?" Hetty said looking up at them, "Mr. Callen won't shoot me, he  _can't_. No matter what you have done to him, you, Janvier and his base memories know I am a friend and that I have always had his best interests at heart.

"I…" Callen dropped his gun and held his head. A million, now familiar images, passed through his mind at once, overwhelming him. "No…stop it…I…I can't…Kens…" he said softly as he met her gaze moments before he fainted and fell to the floor.

 


	24. Chapter 24

Callen dropped like a stone and without even thinking, Nell fired her gun wounding Dracul as Michelle moved Lena out of the line of fire and Sam swept the legs out from under him.

Nell grabbed him and slapped a pair of cuffs on the man, "Dracul Comescu, you're under arrest," she said.

"You need me; you'll never wake him up without me!" Dracul spat.

Deeks read him his Miranda rights and patted him down removing three vials of an unknown drug from his pocket.

Lena started crying at all the noise and when she saw Callen lying on the ground she struggled in Michelle's grasp. "DADDY!" she screamed, finally breaking free and running towards him.

Sam stumbled as he made his way towards Callen; Michelle supported him as Kensi picked up Lena.

"It's ok peanut, Daddy's sleeping."

"Like the fishes?" she asked with a small sob, her hand reaching out to touch Callen's face.

Kensi quickly scanned her memory to think what she could mean and then remembered the LD50 case. "No…no baby, not like the fishes. He's sleeping like you do at night, only Daddy's very tired. How about you get ready to go on your trip to Disneyland with Eva and daddy will be awake when  _you_  wake up.

Lena kissed her father on the head and ran to get her backpack as Eva, who had been alerted by text message, came into the mission to collect the child.

Meanwhile, Hetty had called the paramedics who approached the presumed abandoned building without sirens or lights flashing. She had also called Leon to fill him in on the situation. All the Director knew so far, was that Sam had cuts and bruises, Callen was still out cold and that Deeks had three vials of an unknown drug, which may or may not aid in Callen's recovery.

Leon insisted that they courier the drug to the NCIS Lab in Washington D.C, to find out what was in them, and he also insisted that Callen be transferred to a secured facility. Hetty had to admit she was not happy but she  _reluctantly_  agreed with his directive. Although he seemed to recognize Kensi as he passed out, Callen's mental state was indeed in question. Until they found the underlying cause of his situation, and  _if_  the paramedics agreed, Leon's advisement that Callen be taken to the boatshed where he could be kept secured, would be carried out.

* * *

Dracul Comescu leaned back in the ambulance on his way to the hospital as Deeks watched him closely. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pressed a button on his cell phone.

"What did you just do?" Deeks asked annoyed he'd missed the phone during his initial pat down. He reached over and glared as he took the cell phone from him.

Dracul smiled, "I had a ….how you say… back-up plan?"

"Tell me what you mean…NOW!" Deeks snarled.

"You should ring your little leader…tell her, if she wants Callen alive…she should leave the canisters at the point that he will tell you when he awakens…Project MKUltra is still as valid now as when she used it on Janvier's parents in the '50's. She brought this on herself, you make sure she knows this…Callen knows this…" Dracul smiled, "As soon as he realizes he is separated from myself and his 'father' he will know this…and Janvier will have his revenge either way."

Deeks glared at him and turned to the paramedic, "You got anything to shut him up?" he asked.

The paramedic sighed and ignored him, knowing that he would not be able to do that, no matter how much they both wanted it.

As they arrived at the hospital, Deeks watched Dracul being admitted and grabbed his phone.

"Hetty, where is Callen?" Deeks asked.

At her desk, Hetty had just watched as Callen had been loaded onto a gurney and was, as she spoke, being transferred to meet a medical team at the boatshed.

"He's just left to meet the medical team at the boatshed Mr. Deeks. Did Dracul Comescu give you more information?" she asked.

"He said to tell you…something about a project you worked on…MKUltra? In the fifties?" Deeks took a deep breath, "I'm not sure what it is, but they used it on Callen…Apparently it is payback for you using it on Janvier's parents."

Hetty sat heavily in her chair, "My God…" she breathed, "They used  _that_  on Callen?"

"What is it?" Deeks asked.

"It's a drug, a combination of sodium pentothal, Scopolamine and LSD. It is a wonder he is not completely insane. One of the aims of the MKUltra experiment was to control human behavior to change a man's memories and make him compliant to suggestion. It definitely explains how Mr. Callen fell so easily under Janvier's control," Hetty said. "Thank you for informing me and please stay with Dracul until he is transported by the LAPD and then head over to the boatshed."

"I will, thanks Hetty." Deeks replied and cut the call.

Sam, Nell and Michelle followed Callen's ambulance to the boatshed. Kensi waited behind for Lena to go off with Eva before driving to join them. Hetty had filled Kensi in on what had happened and caught a ride with her to the boatshed.

By the time Kensi arrived at the boatshed she was livid. As she got out of the car she slammed the door and turned to Hetty, "So you're telling me I may not get my husband back?" she snapped at the older woman.

Hetty stopped and turned to Kensi, "I assure you that you and your daughter will get him back. I do not know what condition he will be in, but I have hope Mrs. Callen. He remembered you as he passed out, so the memories are clearly still there, however, right now they are mixed up with all the 'false' memories that Janvier has implanted."

* * *

"GET OUT!" Both women jumped as Callen's voice came over the monitor that was watching the room. His accent was still clipped and Kensi knew this was not her husband. "Get out now…I know this isn't a hospital! American healthcare is not this bad, so stop pretending you will not put any of your mind drugs in me!"

He picked up the wooden chair in the corner and threw it towards the door, after the retreating medics, where it shattered into pieces.

The doctor moved out into the main room as a guard locked the door to the room Callen was in.

Kensi watched as Callen paced the room banging on the glass every few minutes. In addition to trying the door, he paced frantically looking for a way to escape.

The doctor walked out of the room and looked over at Hetty.

"We know he has been drugged, but do you have any insight on this Hetty?" Dr. Gopti asked as he walked over to her.

Hetty sighed, "I do. Mr. Deeks informed me that Mr. Callen was injected with the MKUltra protocol," she said knowing that Dr. Gopti, a small (although slightly taller than her) doctor from India had worked on the project with her in the 1950's.

He paled slightly and held onto the table for support, "I thought all files for that protocol were classified."

Hetty shook her head sadly, "It seems we overlooked one thing about Marcel Janvier…he is the child of two of our original test subjects  _and_  he worked for a while for the Sluzhba vneshney razvedki."

"The SVR… Hetty are you sure? If they have information on this…" Dr. Gopti shook his head, "Either way, that is  _your_  problem to deal with Henrietta.  _I_  need to know what combination of drugs they used on him."

Hetty stopped as she recalled the conversation between herself and Deeks. "They used a combination of sodium pentothal, Scopolamine and LSD."

"When was his last dose?" Dr. Gopti asked they had already been there nearly an hour.

"He was last alone with Janvier two and a half hours ago," Michelle said as the others listened in.

Doctor Gopti smiled in thanks and turned to Hetty; "Do you have any more of this combination of the drug?"

"I sent the last that we had to the Lab in Washington for testing," Hetty said.

"If this works the same as it did in the original trials, then Mr. Callen will need another dose soon."

"Why would you want to give him more?" Sam asked, moving a step closer to the small doctor.

"He can't just  _not_  take this drug; without the drug in his system he's going to go through a major case of withdrawal and it is imperative that we use the drug to slowly wean him off and it will help him to regain his real memories."

"You can't pump more of that stuff into his system!" Sam said moving to position himself between the doctor and the door to the room that Callen was in **.**

They jumped as Callen slammed on the glass again, "LET ME OUT!" He picked up a slither of the wood and tried smashing the bullet resistant glass. Throwing the wood down in frustration, he resumed his pacing.

"Agent Hanna, you can see how agitated he is right now. The drug Janvier had him on will mean in a few hours he'll be worse. When we give him the dose he can start to relax and the chance of him having side effects, like a heart attack, will be greatly reduced," Dr. Gopti said.

"Heart attack?" Kensi asked quietly.

Hetty turned to Kensi and placed a hand on her arm, "He is your husband my dear, the choice should be yours."

Kensi looked at the angry man in the detention room; he looked like her husband but did not act like him.

"I want my husband back and Lena needs her father. Doctor, you do whatever you need to do to bring him back to me," she said.

Dr. Gopti nodded, "Very well. Hetty…we need to get new samples of MKUltra. We will start at the same dosage we used in the fifties and we will step down gradually over the next few weeks. Also you will need to get a therapist to talk him through his recovery. Do you have someone who is cleared and knows him well enough?" The doctor asked.

Hetty smiled, "I have just the person."

 


	25. Chapter 25

By the time Dr. Nate Getz arrived at the boat-shed, Callen was in a corner of the interrogation room curled up in the fetal position but a hand belied his stance, he was ready to fight.

"Hello Callen," Nate said as he walked into the room and put his bag in the corner.

Cal's head rose slowly. He knew that he was protected in the spot he had picked, but he did not recognize the voice of the new person who had walked in so he kept his guard up.

"Who are you?" He snapped.

Nate placed the file he had in the middle of the table and picked up the chair Callen had tossed earlier and sat down.

"My name is Dr. Nate Getz, I'm a psychologist. You can call me Nate," he said. "You are G. Callen…"

"No, that's not my name.  _My name is Cal Janvier_." Callen moved so he could see Nate better, but kept his body language guarded.

"Why do you say that?" Nate asked keeping his voice neutral but managing to hide his surprise at the accent Callen was sporting naturally.

"Because it is my name, my father told me…he wouldn't lie. He wasn't the one who kidnapped me from my family and raised me in hell!" he snapped.

"Is that what you think happened?" Nate asked as his eyes darted towards the mirror.

Nevertheless, Callen caught it, "She's out there isn't she? The woman who took me and destroyed my life!"

"No one is out there right now Cal…let's focus on in here for now," Nate replied in a calming voice.

Callen stood up and started pacing, "She took me, she ruined my life and now she wants me to disown my father?" he said quietly.

"Cal…"Nate opened the file and pulled some pictures out. He placed them on the table where Callen could see them. "This is your mother…and this…" he showed him a grainy photo taken from a cine film, "Is your father, this is not Janvier…your father's name is Nikita Alexsandr Resnikov."

Callen picked up the picture, the man looked like him…maybe around the eyes a little, but his mind was rebelling. "I don't know him…I've never met him."

Nate pulled out another still of the same man holding a baby with a little girl by his side, "That is you, your father and your sister Amy." He took a photo of Clara and placed it on the table, "Clara Callen…your mother."

Then he added a picture of Kensi, "Kensi Blye Callen…Your wife."

Callen started to shake his head, "Essalina Callen…Your daughter."

He stopped and picked up her picture. " _Why_? Why would Papa…Janvier lie?" He asked backing away from Nate as he started to feel sick, his head was swimming and his body ached.

He leaned against the wall and sank slowly down it, "It can't be true…he lied…but I remember…I remember the hell growing up, how could I remember if it were all a lie?"

Nate sighed and waited as Callen started shaking.

"Can we get a medic in here?" he shouted and waited as the door was unlocked and the doctor came in.

Callen moved like lightning, fighting, trying to get out. Two orderlies the doctor had arranged to be there, blocked his exit from the room as the doctor gave him a shot and he fell back in a heap, the fight suddenly drained from him.

The doctor laid him down on the cot in the corner of the room. Callen was coherent but resigned to whatever was going to happen. He felt like just giving up.

Callen stared at the ceiling, his memories in turmoil.

"I know what I remember doctor," he said as Nate sat next to him.

"I remember Papa…when I was small, we played on a beach with my mother…I built a sandcastle with him, he taught me to ride a bike…No…I…maybe…" Callen shook his head, "Amy was with me on the beach…but he was there…but he wasn't…" Callen let out a sob, as it hit him, it was not his father, he had no father and his mother was dead and again he was alone **.**

"Cal?" Nate prodded as he listened to his patient try to sort out the thoughts in his head.

"I'm alone…I've always been alone…no one cares…Why am I still here? No one can  _want_  to live like this, can they doc?" Callen asked.

"People have always cared about you Callen; you have had people looking out for you your whole life," Nate told him.

Callen pushed himself up on one elbow and looked Nate in the eyes, "I know I haven't had  _that_ ," he said with absolute certainty.

* * *

Kensi watched through the glass as Callen worked his way through his memories. "I should be in there," she said turning to Hetty who had stood silently by her side. "He's hurting so much."

Hetty put a hand on Kensi's arm as they listened to Callen talk to Nate.

"He needs to work through this himself, to get his own memories back, something of his own he can hold on to and go from there. Nate is the best my dear and he will do everything to bring our Mr. Callen home."

Kensi looked as the doctor and the orderlies walked past them, the larger of the two orderlies rubbing his arm where Callen had landed a punch and suppressed a grin. The person had to be twice the size of her husband and she knew had he been all right he would have been ribbing Sam about that punch he had landed.

She missed him so much; he was so close, right next-door. Yet still so very far away from her.

She placed her hand on the glass, noticing as she did so that he did the same thing on the other side.

* * *

"I know I was loved…once…I can feel it." Callen said his hand on the glass staring at his reflection in the mirror.

"Tell me about it," Nate said shifting in his seat to watch Callen.

"I wasn't a child…I don't think, I dream of a woman…brown hair, strange eyes, like normal but off…slightly…but they were perfect." He smiled slightly as Kensi the other side of the glass, and unbeknownst to him, did the same.

"We weren't supposed to be in love, I know this…Maybe she was too good for me…maybe I did something wrong," he looked sad and Kensi looked at Hetty but she shook her head.

"Maybe you didn't do anything wrong," Nate said.

"No…I remember hiding her, keeping her safe from…Hetty…that woman…did she kill her?" He turned and looked at Nate.

Nate shook his head as he watched the thoughts fly through Callen's head.

"Why would I hide her from Hetty if she is as good as you say she is? Why would I want to keep her safe  _and_ _ **why**_  can't I remember her name?" Callen asked as he sank back onto the cot he had recently vacated.

"You need to rest. The drug Janvier put in your system is messing with your head. You will remember in time. Just know that there are people out there that care about you, love you and want you to get well," Nate insisted pulling a blanket from the foot of the cot and draping it over Callen's curled up form.

"I want to know….I …Kens…?" he said as he dropped off to sleep.

Nate looked up in surprise at the last word and slipped out of the room.

Kensi looked over at Nate with tears in her eyes as he walked into the main room. "He remembers me, right?" she asked apprehensively.

"I think deep down he does, but he's sorting his thoughts out slowly. Unfortunately, convincing him that people out there care for him will be harder than I originally thought." Nate picked up a coffee, took a sip, and sat down to watch Callen sleep. "I am hopeful that as soon as he remembers you, things will fall back into place."


	26. Chapter 26

After Nate excused himself so he could speak with Hetty, Kensi looked around and realizing she was alone, she quietly slipped into Callen's room. She sat in the chair Nate had occupied only minutes before. As Kensi intently watched his face as he slept, she was unaware of the tears falling down her cheeks.

A lot had changed about him, but not his ability to know when he was being watched. He carefully opened his eyes to see the woman he had been dreaming about sitting next to him, crying. He wanted to pull her into his arms and soothe her pain, but he was not sure who the beautiful woman was.

"Please remember me G. I miss you so much," she said softly as he drifted off to sleep again, the drugs pulling him away from the sight in front of him.

His hazy mind wanted to grab onto her voice, hold it tight and never let go. Despite being drawn back into the drug-induced sleep, his hand slowly reached out to hold hers, " _Stay_."

" _G_?" Kensi asked, hoping he was waking up.

Callen's hand tightened around hers, "Papa…don't leave me…please stay," he moaned in his sleep.

He moved and as she gently stroked his face, he moved his head towards her hand and accepted the comfort of her touch.

"Kens…" he sighed still sleeping.

She smiled, but the tears still fell as she continued to watch him sleep.

* * *

Janvier was furious.

He had been trying for hours to get a hold of Dracul and Callen. Finally, he was forced to admit that something was wrong.

He picked up the phone and made a call, "It's me…Have you heard from Dracul or Cal?" he asked.

Listening to the negative response on the other end, Janvier sighed. "I need to move to phase two…I will need some of your men Issak." His face grew darker as the man on the other end tried to get out of his end of the deal, "You want your nuclear material, then give me men, competent ones…not idiots." Janvier slammed the phone onto the desk and walked over to the window.

He stared out of the window over the Los Angeles skyline, "I will have my revenge Agent Callen, you  _will_ lose all that you love."

* * *

Callen woke, his head pounding and felt a hand in his. "Papa?" he asked.

He looked up groggily, trying not to move but knowing he had to see who was with him.

"G…you're awake, are you ok?" Kensi asked worriedly.

"I am fine," he replied, rubbing his head gently.

He stood up and bent his knees a few times, "I feel a little… _off_." Seconds later he was doubled over in pain.

The doctor and Nate came in, with Hetty close behind. "Lay him down, he needs another shot."

"No!  _No!_ You are  _not_  injecting me with your drugs!" Callen said as he pulled away from Nate and Kensi. It only took a few seconds for him to lock his eyes on the petite form of Hetty Lange. His anger-laden voice spewed the accusatory words, " _ **You**_  are trying to kill me!"

"No Mr. Callen, I am trying to save your life."

Callen pulled away, "No! You have my daughter…I just want to see her…" he yelped as the doctor pierced his skin with a needle.

He felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, "She is safe, G…"

"Disneyland…" he said as Nate lay him back down on the cot where he quickly fell asleep.

"Yeah…"Kensi said as his eyes fluttered closed, "She's safe with Eva at Disneyland."

Hetty's face clouded over and she turned and walked out of the room.

"I want to stay with him," Kensi said to Nate and the doctor.

"It would be a good idea," the doctor agreed. "MK Ultra is a suggestible drug. This version, made by Ms. Sciuto from Washington, D.C., will wean him from the addictive effects, but it still leaves him open to suggestion **.**

I suggest that you use this to reintegrate him into his life, tell him the truth about himself."

Kensi sat next to Callen stroking his forehead as she began to tell him all about their family and how they met.

Nate closed the door quietly behind him, followed the doctor into the main room, and went over to find Hetty who was talking to Eric on the monitor.

"I need that footage, I know he wasn't told about it," she snapped.

Nate looked over at her concern filled his eyes, "Is everything ok?" he asked moving to stand beside her.

"No Dr. Getz it isn't. I fear something is very,  _very_  wrong," she admitted.

* * *

Lena ran happily through the grounds at Disneyland, pulling Eva on every ride she was tall enough for. She, like her parents, had no fear and enjoyed riding on everything.

"This one!" she squealed as she got up to a ghost train.

"Are you sure little one? This is a very scary ride," Eva said looking at the ghosts painted on the front.

" _THIS ONE!_ " Lena pulled Eva's hand harder.

Eva laughed at the look on the face of the person minding the ride as five-year-old Lena strapped herself into the ride.

"You sure you aren't going to be scared?" the woman asked.

Lena grinned her father's smile, "No. My mommy and Daddy are Fed…ral Agents. I'm not scared of anything!" she proclaimed, pulling out a plastic water pistol, "And I got my own gun." The ride operator forced a smile as Lena giggled.

Eva laughed and wrapped her arm protectively around her charge. The pair of them laughed as the car holding them entered the spooky tunnel.

Lena took her little plastic gun and aimed it at the plastic skeletons and zombies that were leaning against the wall. The heads from the haunted mansion movie started moving and Lena laughed along with them.

Suddenly the lights went out and Eva started screaming as she felt Lena's warmth suddenly disappear as the few background lights flickered off and left the riders in complete blackness.

"Calm down!" one man called, "You'll scare the children; it's probably just a power outage."

"No…LENA!" Eva screamed, "They've taken Lena…she's been kidnapped!"

A flashlight was put on and the other people on the ride saw a terrified woman and a space with a small bunny sitting in the seat, but the little girl who had gone into the tunnel with them was missing.

"I need to call her mother," Eva insisted.

"Call 911," someone else shouted.

Parents held their children tighter as the house lights came on and a woman screamed.

Eva had not noticed that she was bleeding, or that she had been shot. Her only thought was to find the child she had watched over since the month of her birth.

* * *

Hetty viewed the footage from a few days before,  _"How did he know?"_  she said to herself.

"What are you looking for?" Nate asked.

"How did Mr. Callen know that his daughter was going to Disneyland?" Hetty asked.

Nate shook his head, "Maybe someone mentioned it," he answered.

Hetty shook her head, "Lena mentioned she was going away but never said where. The only place it was discussed was when Mrs. Callen mentioned it in Ops."

Now it was Nate's turn to look worried, "Ops has been compromised?" he asked worriedly.

"Worse…Miss Callen may be in danger. We need to send Mr. Hanna and Mr. Deeks to Disneyland as soon as possible to pick up Eva and Lena and keep them…" she stopped as her phone rang.

"Hello?" She said apprehensively as she saw the unknown number.

"Grandma?" Lena's voice came over the speaker and Hetty looked up at Nate turning the phone to a speakerphone.

"Lena…sweetie are you alright?" Hetty's voice wobbled as she talked to the child she had come to think of as a granddaughter.

She sniffed as if she had been crying, "The man took me off the ride, and he made Eva's shirt funny."

"Funny?"

"Like with my water gun. He used his and she had red stuff on her top. I want my mommy," she said. "Is mommy there?"

"Mommy is with daddy right now. Is the man who took you, there with you?" Hetty asked, her knuckles grinding into the table.

"I am here Miss Lange." Janvier's voice came over the speaker.

"I wanna talk to Grandma." Lena's indignant voice cut across the adults.

There was a noise and a thud and Lena dissolved into sobs.

"If you've hurt her…" Hetty warned, her voice menacing.

Janvier laughed, "This is nothing compared to what will happen to the child if Agent Callen does not deliver my nuclear material…I know you have him and I know you've turned him. I _will_  keep my promise to kill all he loves. His only chance to see his child again is if you acquiesce to my demands."

The phone cut off and Hetty and Nate looked at each other both filled with a sense of foreboding.

A small sob came from behind them and they turned to see Callen with his arm around Kensi who was also sobbing quietly.

"He lied to me," Callen said in a dangerous monotone.

He had had enough of being lied to. He was getting his family back and  _nothing_  was going to stand in his way.

 


	27. Chapter 27

Callen was furious. Janvier, his father, had lied to him. Hetty, the tiny woman staring at him with a small light of hope in her eyes, had lied to him.

Kensi. She had not lied to him, he did not think, but then he was not sure about her. He felt something every time he looked into those eyes, those mismatched eyes, the eyes from his dreams. "You?" he asked turning to Kensi, the confusion on his face giving way to the realization that she was indeed the woman in his dreams.

"Callen?" Kensi asked looking at him.

"I know you." He shook his head as if trying to clear the fog that was swimming around inside his brain. "You..." he stopped and looked into her eyes and put his hands on her shoulders, "I love you. I trust you," he said with a sincerity that brought tears to her eyes.

"I love you too G." Her eyes roamed his face looking for the least bit of deception and not seeing any; she closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Seconds later, his mouth closed on hers.

Her heart leapt. It was not a fake kiss, like the ones they had done undercover. It was the real deal and for a moment, the two of them forgot where they were and who was watching.

Hetty gave a slight cough not wanting to interrupt the pair and Callen sprang back as if burned.

"Kensi?" he asked again, "What's going on?"

He looked at the worry on Hetty's face and on the faces of the others in the room. "Kens? Lena?" he asked and then suddenly it all came flooding back to him. " _Janvier,_ " he growled. He took a step back holding the gun he had just pulled from Kensi's waistband, "I'm going to get our little girl," he vowed.

"Mr. Callen do you have all of your memories back?" Hetty asked.

Callen shook his head, "No, but I have enough to know that Kensi is the woman I love with all my heart and soul and Lena is my daughter. I may not know everything but I know I am sick of trusting people and being lied to. I know you lied to me old woman and that Janvier lied to me. But right now my little girl needs me, and she's coming home if it's the last thing I do."

"I'm not sure if it is safe for you to go out with holes in your memory like this," she stated.

Callen looked at her incredulously, "Listen lady, I don't know who you think you are but that's my two year old..."

Kensi interrupted him, "Five–year-old honey."

"...Five-year-old daughter out there with an evil son of a bitch that drugged me and got me to believe I was his son. If you think I'm going to sit here and let you tell me I can't go and bring her home, you have another thing coming!" He strode towards the door but stopped on Hetty's reply.

"I love that child as if she was my own Mr. Callen and I will do everything in my power to make sure she is safe and living with both her parents. All I ask is that you both wait for Mr. Hanna and Mr. Deeks to arrive here and then you go with back up," she said softly.

Callen felt a wave of shame pass through his body. He had no idea where it was coming from, but then soft, quiet moments spent with this older woman, her comforting him over something that had troubled him, a hazy remembrance of her placing a blanket on him as he slept, assailed him.

He looked at her again, the anger he instinctively felt was ebbing, "I will wait _one_ hour for this back up you say is coming. In the meantime I ask that you answer me one question."

Hetty smiled and sank gratefully into a chair, "Of course Mr. Callen, please ask away."

He pulled out a chair and sat facing her, "You will not lie to me?" he asked.

Hetty shook her head, and Callen nodded, "Very well. Who are you? Specifically, who are you to me?"

* * *

Lena wiped her eyes as the strange man put the phone down. "I want my mommy and daddy," she said as bravely as she could.

"I want to see your mommy and daddy as well," Janvier sneered, "So you had better behave so that you are alive to see them."

"My daddy will put you in jail," she snapped back.

Janvier laughed, "Your daddy will do exactly as I tell him to do. You and your daddy will be given to the Comescu's. I am not saying they will end your life little one, but as the last Callen I know the rest of your life will not be as pleasant as it has been so far."

Lena looked at him confused, "I want my daddy."

Janvier rolled his eyes, "Shut up!" he snapped. Picking her up by the hair until she screamed. Then he threw her roughly onto the bed in the other room. "I hear another sound out of you and I will kill your mommy and daddy! Do you understand that?"

Lena's eyes went wide with fear and she nodded before tears fell down her cheeks.

Janvier turned and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him. Lena looked around the small room. The bed was smaller than her big girl bed at home and there were no sheets, pillows or toys. She curled up into a ball and wrapped her small, red cardigan around her for warmth and did something she had not done in months, she cried silently and sucked her thumb.

Janvier smirked as he heard the lock click. The child had been bugging him ever since he had taken delivery of her. She was stubborn and strong willed, much he conceded, like her parents. But his plan could still work; he had called Della Comescu, who was thrilled to hear that he had the last Callen and offered him a great deal of money for her. Janvier could live with that and now that they knew he had their daughter, the Callen's would give him what he wanted, the nuclear material in exchange for the child. Moreover, little did they know that there would not be _any_ Callen walking away free.

* * *

Hetty looked at the man she loved like a son, "That is a very hard question to answer. You mean more to me than my own life, and on occasion I have proved that to you, specifically when I offered my own life to the Comescu's in exchange for yours."

Callen looked surprised at that revelation, "Why would you do that for me?"

Hetty sighed; "A long time ago I knew your mother..." she started.

He looked defensive, "You're going to tell me you are my mother?"

Hetty shook her head, "No Mr. Callen Janvier was telling the truth. Your mother was indeed Clara Callen, a good friend of mine. I couldn't save her from the Comescu's and I couldn't save you or your sister and for that I will always be sorry."

"I don't have a sister," Callen said, the words sounding familiar in his head.

"You had a sister, Amy Callen. She died when she was eleven years old by accidental drowning. I am sorry," Hetty said with sincerity.

Callen looked over at Kensi, feeling the need to know she was safe. She walked over and sat next to him holding his hand in hers, offering support as he yet again dealt with the loss of a sister he had scant memories of.

"I have looked out for you since you were five years old and found out you were in the U.S.," Hetty admitted.

Callen was about to open his mouth and ask another question when Sam and Deeks walked into the room.

"You ready? Eric just got a fix on where Janvier was calling from," Sam said as they entered.

"I know where my...Janvier was calling from, and he won't be leaving," Callen snarled as he stood up quickly assessing the two men who had entered.

"G, are you sure you are alright to do this?" Sam asked.

Callen looked at him annoyed this stranger was even asking him that question. "I am getting my daughter back. I only waited because _she_ said so," he replied pointing to Hetty. "Now Mister, you can either come with me or shoot me, because _I am_ getting my daughter back." Callen moved his hand slightly to show this man that if he even attempted to shoot him he would fail.

" _We_ are getting _our_ daughter back G," Kensi said handing Callen his own gun and taking hers back.

Callen smiled at the familiar weight in his hand and kissed her, "Okay. Cue Ball and Shaggy, let's go," he said.

Deeks and Sam stood there for a second speechless and then they followed Callen and Kensi out of the door.


	28. Chapter 28

Callen walked outside the boatshed and stopped to get his bearings, he didn't have a car, so he started walking towards the road to look for a cab.

"G!" Sam called from behind him.

He turned, "What!" he snapped, his patience thin from waiting.

Sam stood in front of the Challenger holding the keys, "We have a car." he said lazily twirling the keys on his finger.

Callen strode up and snatched them, "You had better get in then Cue-ball." he smirked and climbed into the drivers seat as Sam stood there speechless.

Kensi climbed in behind her husband letting Sam take the passenger side.

Callen put his hands on the steering wheel, this felt wrong, he looked over at Sam sitting in the passenger seat for a moment and shook his head.

"What's wrong G?" Sam asked looking over at him worried.

"I don't drive this….you do...don't you?" He stated looking over at Sam as a flurry of memories shot back at him, mostly of Sam and himself sitting in the car, laughter and Sam making paper...things out of tootsie pop wrappers.

Sam smiled, "I do...but I don't know where we are going, and you drive sometimes."

Callen flinched as another set of memories assailed him, Sam in the passenger seat and them being shot at. Callen swerving the car and the back window being shot out, him driving and being hit from behind….him driving and the car flipping and him shooting someone from an inverted position.

He sat back from the steering wheel and took his hands off the wheel.

"G?" Kensi looked at him worried.

Callen got out of the car and stood looking at it. "I...I can't drive...not now…" he looked worried.

Kensi who had got out of the car with him wrapped him in a hug, "Are you ok, Is it the drugs?" She asked concerned with his sudden exit from the car.

"Yeah…" He lied not looking at her, "I don't think I'm safe enough to drive, he….Sam? Sam should do it." he announced. Throwing the key over the roof of the car at him.

Sam deftly caught it and walked round the back of the car, "You sure you want me to drive G?" He asked worried. Callen pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, he'd already written the address down so he wouldn't forget. He handed it to Sam. "Get us there quick...Lena need us."

He climbed into the car, put on his safety belt and stared out of the window.

Sam looked at the address, "OK, let's go." he gunned the engine and they roared off.

All the way there Callen didn't talk to the others, they practiced banter that was going on between Kensi, Deeks and Sam seemed familiar and he felt relaxed around it, but he wouldn't relax until he had gotten revenge on Janvier.

Prodding his own memories little things were coming to the surface, Comescu….Blood feud...Romany Gypsy...Callen...Clara...he gasped as he realized how his mother had been killed by a Comescu, it had been him they were after. Not Hetty. He was the target of the feud, He...and now Lena were the last of the Callen's.

The others stopped talking at the gasp, but he paid them no mind.

He pulled out his weapon and checked it was ready.

"G...we're here." Sam said as they pulled up, he reached over and put a hand on Callen's shoulder and he flinched and pulled away, unbuckling his belt he got out of the car and headed to the main door.

Turning the them he held up a hand, "Wait...let me go first." He holstered his weapon in the small of his back and walked to the door.

* * *

Pressing the intercom he waited as Janvier replied.

"Yes."

Callen looked into the camera knowing that he could be seen, but the others although they could hear him couldn't see him.

"Papa? It's me Cal!" he called.

Kensi moved to go pull him back, but Deeks held her arm and shook his head, "Let him play this...either way Kenz we know where he is...just trust him." Deeks said softly.

"Cal?" They could hear the confusion in Janvier's voice, "I thought they had you."

Callen laughed, with an inflection that made Sam shiver, "You think they could keep me there?" He looked directly into the camera, "You gonna let me in Papa?" he asked again.

"Of course son." A buzzer sounded and the door slid open.

As he walked in Callen took a spare magazine clip from his pocket and laid it down by the door to stop it closing properly.

He walked inside as the door closed up behind him.

Climbing the stairs he took the gun out from the small of his back and checked it again and headed to the suite of offices that Janvier had turned into his headquarters.

Janvier turned as Callen walked into the room nodded and looked out of the window at the city.

"I like this location do you know why son?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No…" Callen sat down in one of the two armchairs that were in the room, placing his gun in his lap and crossing his leg over to hide it.

"I like this location because I can see anyone who comes into the estate…." He turned slowly and Callen tensed at his movement.

Janvier lifted his gun and aimed it at Callen, "You thought I didn't see you coming with others in the car?"

Cal smiled and sat back, moving his hands behind his head, "Of course I did, how do you think I convinced them to let me go. I figured we could hold them for ransom, more chance of getting the nuclear material from that little witch." He laughed.

Janvier lowered his gun an inch. "I thought they had turned you…" he said looking for any sign of deception in his face.

Callen shook his head, "We are family Papa, I would never turn against you...The witch even tried to convince me you had kidnapped my daughter and had hurt her." He clenched his toes, in frustration, knowing that that was one tell that Janvier couldn't see.

Janvier looked shocked, "She told you I kidnapped her!" he turned and opened a nearby door, Callen had to hold himself back on seeing his little girl curled up asleep on the small bed.

"I rescued her, they had hurt her and she sobbed all the way here." Janvier explained, he closed the door quietly and turned back to find Callen holding a gun to his head.

"They did turn you…" He shook his head in mock sadness, inside he was furious.

"No.. _.Papa_ …" Callen spat the word. "I remembered…"

Janvier walked to the small desk and took a small black leather case out. Opening it he moved it so Callen could see, "You haven't been having your medication son, they lied to you."

"I know what that is...I'm not touching it, I know who I am now…." He stood up and aimed his gun at Janvier hearing the sounds of the others working on the door he had locked behind himself on entering.

"Who are you?" Janvier spat. "Do you know...Really?!"

"I know enough, I know I am a husband and a father, I know that little girl means more to me than my life, I know I have friends and a family." Callen said his voice even and steady.

Janvier blanched as he realized that Callen had locked the main door.

"Know what else I know?" Callen asked sarcasm dripping in his question.

"I know you don't know your name….I can tell you, do you know that?" Janvier asked hoping Callen would falter.

And falter he did, just for a second, then he smiled sadistically, "Yeah I know my name." he pulled the trigger and walked over to the surprised looking face of Janvier, who was now laying with a hole in his forehead, blood, bone and brain matter spread up the wall like bad abstract art. "My name is daddy." he whispered to the corpse.

"G!" Sam's panicked voice could be heard behind the door.

Callen, but it wasn't that that had him moving and dropping his gun, it was the cry of his little girl in the other room.

"DADDY!"

Callen ran for the door, wanting to make sure that Lena didn't see the body on the floor.

He opened the door and scooped her up in a hug and took her back over to the bed.

Sitting on the edge he held her close as she cried, stroking her hair and rocking her as the rest of his memories flooded back.

"Shhh….it's ok baby, daddy's got you." he said repeatedly as he held her not even bothering to stop his own tears as he held her safe.

* * *

Having finally kicked the door in, the team cleared the room as fast as they could. Kensi breathed a sigh of relief that the body on the floor wasn't her husband, but where was he, had he taken Lena and left?

Her heart in her throat, Kensi cleared a room which turned out to be a kitchen.

"Kenz…" Deeks said quietly as he opened a door.

She moved to the door and stopped as she saw her daughter and husband both holding each other.

"G….?" she entered slowly keeping her voice down, but the look on his face and the blood on his arm and shoulder made her think Lena was hurt, she shook in fear as she looked at their child.

Callen looked up at his wife and saw the fear and worry on her face. "She's ok Kenz….our baby is ok, she's just a little scared."

Lena rubbed her eyes and looked up with a smile as she heard her mothers voice.

"Mommy, I found daddy!" she said with a huge smile.

Trying not to run Kensi came over and fell to her knees and pulled Lena into her arms. "You did baby?" she laughed as she realize that apart from a small bruise on her cheek Lena was unharmed. "Clever girl." Praising her daughter both parents were rewarded with a huge smile.

Deeks poked his head around the corner, "He's covered you can bring her through now, I've called Eric to deal with the….him…" he said not wanting to say anything in front of the child.

Callen shivered as another residual jolt went through him. He grit his teeth and stood up, "We need to get her back to the boatshed, get her checked over by the doc."

Kensi nodded, she looked over at Sam and Deeks, "You guys be ok here?" he asked.

Deeks stood up, "I'll hold down the fort, Sam can run you guys back to the boatshed. She needs to be checked out."

Kensi nodded thankfully, she grabbed Lena's hand as she tried to run out of the door.

"Uncle Sam!" Lena pulled at her mother to go to her favorite uncle.

Sam picked her up and put her on his shoulders, "Duck down jelly beana, you can pony ride me to the car." he shot Kensi a wink as he had her looking forward and not backward as they left the room the five-year-old squealing in delight as she rode on her uncles' shoulders down the stairs.

Kensi looked at Callen concerned he was going to disappear on them, as he was sat on the bed still, his body trembling slightly and his eyes unfocused.

"Callen….are you with me?" she asked worried.

He nodded, slightly unfocused. "Kensi?...He wasn't my father was he? I didn't just…" he leant forward, fighting the urge to vomit, as the last of his missing real memories merged with the old ones and his head began to hurt.

"Come on honey, let's get you back to see that doctor too." she held out her hand and he pulled her tight to him breathing in the scent that was uniquely hers.

She ran her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture, "Come on baby, lets go and find our daughter."

Wordlessly he nodded and took her hand.

Leaving the room he followed stopping for a second and looking at the sheet covered body of Janvier. But he allowed himself to be pulled along and away from his body, away from the horror of that life and back to the stairs, towards his partner and daughter.

 


	29. Chapter 29

Lena sat in the car and looked over the rear of the seat at Sam who was in the trunk looking for the booster seat he kept in there for her.

"Uncle Sam. Is daddy mad at me?" she asked a flicker of hidden concern on her face.

"What? Why would you ask that?" It was a question which to him made no sense.

"Daddy was crying as he saw me." Lena explained, "Did I make him mad? I didn't want to leave and come down with you. But if I'm the one that is making daddy sad, can I come and stay with you and auntie Michelle." She teared up as she asked, but just like her parents Lena was showing their selfless traits and didn't want anyone to be hurt.

Sam watched as the child thought over all her options. He realised, with a start, that the enthusiasm she has shown on him entering the room upstairs had been fake. she seemed to be as good an undercover agent as her parents.

"No Lena...you didn't make your daddy upset at all." He said pulling the child into a hug. "In fact your mom and dad will be down any minute to take you back to the boatshed to see grandma." He added, relaxing as the child smiled. "Sometimes adults cry when they are happy, I know your daddy was really happy to see you, we all were."

"Because the bad man took me?" she asked.

"And because you are safe and sound." He clipped in the seat and motioned for her to climb in.

As Lena did so and helped as Sam strapped her in. She asked. "Daddy is coming home now isn't he?"

Sam nodded, "I am sure he is, he loves you peanut, don't ever forget it."

Lena let her head drift back, her eye hurt where the bad man had hit her. She hadn't seen him again after that, but with mommy and daddy there she was sure that they had made the bad man go away, after all that's what mommies and daddies did. She was hoping she could tell Eva all about what had happened to her, as Sam started the car the noise and throb of the engine helped her to close her eyes and drift off to sleep.

Callen and Kensi climbed into the car and Sam drove the emotionally exhausted trio back to the safety of the boat-shed.

* * *

Hetty looked up as the group arrived at the boat-shed, Kensi carrying Lena, still asleep, in her arms, she walked past the group and lay her down on the cot her father had been sleeping on earlier.

Callen hung back as he saw the others looking at him, his gaze was pulled to Nate. He didn't know how he could look the other man in the eye.

Nate noticed the evasion and moved to escort him to one side, "Callen, are you ok?" he asked.

Callen nodded but still didn't look at him, which sent up red flags to Nate. "Come with me." he said.

Callen shot a look of panic as he looked for Kensi but couldn't see her.

Nate put a hand on his shoulder and he flinched away but followed moving to the corner of the room as Nate closed the door.

"I take it you want your medication," Nate said with a smile, "You are nearly done, according to Hetty's friend Dr. Gopti, this should be your last dose." he filled the syringe and Callen just held out his arm.

Nate gave him the medication and waited as Callen rolled down his sleeve but didn't take his eyes off the floor.

"Do you want to talk?" Nate asked softly waiting for his friend to respond.

Callen sat there for a few minutes questions clogging up his mind, how could he ask him...tell him what he remembered.

"Do you hate me?" He mumbled.

"What?" Nate was caught off guard with the question.

"Rose...I remember...kind of...What did she have?" he asked, was he a father again? Did Nate know?

Nate smiled and pulled out a picture, "We have a son, Jamie." he showed Callen a picture of a 3 year old boy. Rose was holding him and the boy had dark brown eyes and dark hair the spitting image of his father.

Callen sighed with relief, "He looks like you." he laughed softly.

"He should, he's my son...I'm sorry, I forgot you didn't know, you never touched Rose that night, just fell asleep telling her how much you loved Kensi."

"I...I thought...maybe…" he trailed off.

Nate grinned, "Drunk or sober Callen you are to much of a gentleman to cheat on your wife, just like I wouldn't with mine." he flashed the ring on his left hand.

"You got married?" Callen asked the awe in his voice evident.

Nate nodded, "Right after Jamie was born, Rose didn't want to be pregnant in the wedding photos."

Callen smiled and then he looked away and sighed.

"What is it?" Nate prodded.

"I remember everything Nate. Kensi, Lena, you Sam, the others and Hetty...I remember the last time I was in the mission...I don't have a job do I?" he looked up, the hope that he was wrong was shining in his eyes.

"You don't?" Nate sounded surprised, "We haven't replaced you, Nell's been helping out but we've been looking for you the whole time."

Callen only half believed him, but his meds were kicking in and he didn't have the need to fight him.

"I killed my father Nate...shot him...right between the eyes and I don't feel bad about it, I'm a killer….I…"

"Stop right there." Nate said sternly and Callen jerked back at his tone.

"You did not kill your father, Deeks called me and told me what happened. Janvier was  _not_ your father." Nate made sure Callen could see his face and see the truth of his words.

"I believed him…" Callen said so softly, "How could I have believed him…?"

Nate moved to that Callen could see him, "G, Janvier was a con artist and a criminal. He knew the best way to get what he wanted out of someone and he was the kind of man who researched his target well, Deeks found some photo-shopped pictures of him with your mother. That coupled with the MKUltra drug made you more suggestible...also, your own longing for answers helped."

"So if I hadn't wanted to know so bad, if I hadn't been looking I wouldn't have made myself a target?" Callen asked the pain and guilt evident in his voice.

"No...Janvier had fixated on you years ago, he had the resources needed to find out things about you. He used them to his own end, you were not to blame for this."

Callen nodded, he believed Nate...somewhere, deep down he knew that Nate had never lied to him.

The drug coursed through his system and he lay back on the stuffed couch he was sitting on, "I need…." he sighed as he closed his eyes.

Nate smiled knowing exactly what he needed and was determined to make sure he got it. "Stay there…" Nate said and left him alone in the room.

* * *

Nate walked out to find Kensi. Sam and Hetty talking quietly to each other in the main room.

"How is he?" Kensi asked jumping to her feet.

"He's resting on the couch, Give him ten minutes, then Hetty, you need to go and talk to him." Nate said crossing his arms and looking at her, "Callen remembers everything now, some of it is jumbled because of the medication. The one thing he has remembered is that you fired him." he looked accusingly at Hetty.

"I did no such thing, Mr. Getz. Mr. Callen left I think his exact words were 'I quit', however I did not and will not accept his resignation." Hetty replied as both Kensi and Sam glared at her.

"If he comes back will you split us up again?" Kensi asked prepared to quit there and then to restore her family.

"Heaven's no! You need to be together, although Mrs. Callen, if there is any chance of this affecting your work I will step in, although knowing now what I didn't know then...you both worked together admirably so I cannot see your working relationship being affected by it." she promised and smiled as Kensi strode over and hugged the smaller woman.

"Thank you." Kensi sighed.

"I have some other news." Nate said solemnly, "Eva...she's going to be alright, she's got a month left in hospital but she should recover fully."

Kensi smiled, "Thank you for finding out Nate. I know I should have but…"

Nate patted her on the shoulder, "You were concerned for your daughter's welfare, that was your first priority. No one blames you for not thinking about Eva….Especially not Eva, I called her when Deeks told me you were all safe to let her know. She sends her love and hopes to see you all soon."

Kensi wrapped him in a hug, "Thank you so much Nate, we owe you."

Nate kissed her cheek, "Lena is family after all." he replied as if that were an explanation in itself.

* * *

Hetty slipped inside the room as Callen was lost in thought, laying on the couch feeling dopey from the medication but he hadn't allowed himself to fall asleep yet.

"You know, when I first met you I was surprised at how much like your mother you were, you were stubborn, headstrong, and very very loyal." she said quietly as she sat on the chair next to the couch.

Callen nodded, "I remember, in the hospital, after the shooting." he mumbled.

Hetty shook her head, "No...not at all, you were fifteen I believe, you had been arrested on charges of shoplifting."

Callen pushed himself up on his elbows and turned to look at her.

"You were there?" He remembered the incident clearly although didn't remember her being there.

"I had been keeping tabs on you ever since I had learned of your existence. I kept up with your grades, tried to make sure your foster homes were good ones, moved you when they weren't, helped fund your college." She waited as he took it all in.

"You still did that even after you met me?" he sat up and looked her in the eye, "Even after I was arrested. Were you responsible for getting my record wiped?"

Hetty smiled, "I helped because of what I saw and what you did, do you remember?" she asked.

Callen nodded, "I thought at that point we were all going to jail, I couldn't let that happen to the others, they were just kids…."

Hetty smiled, "You were a fifteen year old boy who took responsibility for 3 children under ten, you were all scared and you protected them from three tough police officers, one social worker and a precinct captain." she reminded him.

Callen looked away ashamed, "I had stolen...it was stupid getting caught like that."

Hetty moved closer and patted the younger man on the arm comfortingly.

"You were protecting the innocent, you had no idea, you had been lied to and betrayed, yet you fought for the well being of those in your charge." She looked him in the eye, "That Mr. Callen is when I knew you had the makings of a great man, that is not a trait I take lightly, I am not sure as to the current state of your memory, but rest assured I did not and will not accept your resignation, neither will I accept Mrs. Callen's. You are both valuable assets on my team and it would be remiss of me to, as they say, keep the oyster and throw the pearl."

Callen looked up at her and with a start realized she was smiling.

"So I can stay?" he asked.

She smiled, "As soon as you pass Nate's evaluations and re-qualify I expect to see you back at your desk."

"I am sorry." he said quickly, "For what I said….about you...I mean…"

Hetty looked at him. "Sometimes Mr. Callen, Sons will get angry at their mothers, but as mothers we always forgive."

He pulled her into a hug, knowing with his family nearby he was finally home.

 


End file.
